Nightmare
by TheIncredibleDancingBetty
Summary: Something is stalking the Mikey, something that he dreamed about. Now he is the only one that can figure out what they want and who they are. Can he do it in time? MikePOV PLEASE R&R COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT

A/N: This is my first Mike POV. Hopefully it works out well. My storyline is going to be wierd, I'm not even sure if scifi and angst are the proper selections to describe it, but it is definetly going to get bloody in the future so be warned! Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 1

Phone call

_It is black. Pitch black. So black that I can't see my own hand two inches in front of my face. I stand here, motionless, terrified to move. My heart thuds hard in my chest, so hard I wonder if my body is swaying with the force of it. Sweat slowly beads on my skin as my breath comes in deep heavy gasps. My eyes open wider, straining to see it, but I can't._

_(rustle)_

_My head whips in that direction. It seems impossible, but my heartbeat quickens even more. I realize I'm holding my breath. Slowly I let it out. 'Alright, Mikey boy, no reason to get scared. Sure that it's nothing, must be a rat, or...'_

_Screech!_

_My body jolts out of my skin and I accidently release a yelp into the air. I clap my hands over my mouth, shivering despite the heat. 'Aw, shell. What am I talking about? Of course there's reason to be scared! I'm trapped in a dark place with something that probably has sharp teeth, huge fangs, claws that can...'_

_A loud bang resounds above me and a brilliant light envelops me. With another involuntary yelp I leap back, landing lightly on the balls of my feet._

_It's just a light. A simple light. I look up and see the thing, looks like one of those average, mundane, run-of the mill office light. A black shade hanging on a black wire. Like one of those infamous interrogation room lights where they beat a confession out of someone and-stop it, Mikey. Office light. It's an office light. _

_Despite the sheer brightness of the light, it does nothing to illuminate the room, or, er, area that I'm in. The light simply spills down in a perfect circle on the ground where I was standing, as though there's some sort of force field preventing the light from escaping. Slowly I creep up and get a better look at it. It doesn't _look_ dangerous. Hesitantly I tap it with a finger and leap back when the thing moves. _

_It does nothing but swing back and forth._

_I knew it was going to do that. Really, I did._

_Slowly I approach it once more. The ground illuminated is simply white, doing nothing to reveal where I am. Where am I?_

_Hissssssssssss._

_My throat tightens so quick that I can't even get out a squeak. Terrified, I turn around, every muscle on my body quivering. What just made that sound? I stare in the direction that it came from, my eyes so wide and unblinking that I think they might pop out of my head. Aw shell..._

_There it is again. From a different direction this time. Spinning on my heel I swallow a large gulp of air and grab for my chucks. A new wave of horror runs through me when I realize that my belt is empty. Oh no, this can't be happening. No, no, no, no, no! Where are my chucks! Where are my brothers! Where's Master Splinter! Someone! Don't make me do this alone..._

_Another hiss. No, wait two of them...or is it three? THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! The hisses are from all over, I'm surrounded! By what? _

_Two pinpricks of light reveal themselves in the darkness. I stare at them and they blink. They're eyes! Like popcorn in the microwave they start popping up all around me in the darkness. Some of them bob, some of them weave, but they're all staring straight at me! Shell, this can't be happining? Why!_

_Still shaking, I get into a fighting stance, preparing to defend myself. The hisses soft, almost whispers. But they're getting louder. Louder still! So loud that that's all I can hear. Soon it's a deafening sound echoing in my ears, like headphones turned up way to high. Hate it when Raph does that, man what I wouldn't give to have him do that right now..._

_I hear a snickering laugh. Not like a nice ha-ha or a jolly ho-ho, like a grotesque, ugly, mean, nasty, evil little grimlen who inhaled a balloon full of helium. Like nails on a chalkboard. I wince at the sound, it makes my skin crawl. One by one, each hiss slowly transforms to that evil, high pitched little snicker until the whole room is filled with the sound. It revolves around me in waves, the room begins to spin a bit. I clap my hands over my ears and squeeze my eyes shut. Somehow the snickering gets louder...is it getting closer?_

_A whimper escapes my lips and I press my hands to my ears so hard that my head tingles. 'This isn't real, it isn't real, it isn't real...' It can't be real, can it?_

_Mikey..._

_It's getting closer to me, the little monsters! No!_

_Mikey..._

_Oh shell, it's right beside me, I can't..._

_MIKEY!!!_

I jolted upright with a cry, flailing my arms so wildly that I flop off of bed and crash face first on the floor. The blankets travel with me, temporarily enveloping me once again in darkness. With another yelp I struggle out of the blankets, which teporarily get entangled with my limbs, which only serves to increase my panic. Finally I grabbed ahold of them and ruthlessy yank them off of me. I clear my head just in time to see my bedroom door close and Raph's familiar voice grumbing about me sleeping in again. The door clicks shut as Raph calls over his shoulder "You better get your butt downstairs, I'm not covering for you again after that stupid prank you pulled last night!"

Reaching up I rub the sand out of my eyes. Prank? Oh, yeah. I replaced his soap with lubricant. Can't believe he's still sore about that! I grin at the memory but it's a weak smile. The memory of my dream still echo in my mind. It was a dream, right? Yeah, couldn't have been anything else, right? Uh, yeah, right. A dream.

A dream.

Yanking my blanket off the floor I toss it on my bed. Stretching I walk to get my chucks and nearly slip on a comic. Scratching my thigh, I pick it up. The latest issue of 'Horribly Scary Stories From Beyond Evil.' Good stuff. That must've been where my dream came from. Hm. Nightmare more likely.

I shrug my shoulders, still trying to shake off the prickly feeling left over from it. Man, it was intense! Hope I never have one like that again!

My shell cell rings as I walk over to the door. Yawning, I flip it open. "Hello? Michelangelo's Pizza Delivery Service, how may I help you?" I deliver in a perfect italian accent. I'm too good at this.

For a moment the line is silent, but I can tell that someone's on the other line...My eyeridges scrunch together and I stop walking. Leaning more into the small device I speak again. "Uh, Hello?"

Silence.

Something flips in my belly. I run a hand over my bald head. Man, it's too soon after the nightmare for someone to be playing tricks on me! "Um, Hello? Casey, Raph, whoever's there dude, this isn't funny..."

Tiny, rapid breathing come from the small speaker. I stare at it in puzzlement before putting my ear to it again. My heart stops and my stomach gets cold as thousands of tiny, snickering voices cut through the line static.

"Mikey..."

* * *

A/N: How do you like it? Told you it was going to be wierd! Be sure to leave a review and tell me what you think! 

Toodles!


	2. Message

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT

A/N: Wow! Took way longer than I intentioned on continuing with this story! To make a long story short, computer died, then a particularly nasty illness swept through the household. We ended up having to buy a new PC. Not fun. Oh well, I'm thrilled to be able to write on this again. The computers at work have been reformatted and aren't blocking this website anymore so I can do this on lunch and free time. Sweet! Hope you enjoy this next installment!

Chapter 2

The Message

I drop the phone with a high pitched squeal, definetly not a scream, but a squeal. Then again, maybe yell is a better term.

As soon as it hits the floor the snickering voice that called out my name goes silent. Hesitantly I reach forward and touch the phone with my fingertip. I snatch it back. I inspect my hands. No burns, cuts, melting flesh, boils, blisters, red spots or stinky smell. Phone is now safe. Even still I pick up the phone kinda cautiously before finally flipping it shut.

The voice, it called my name. Major creepy. No, more than creepy, fantastically scary! Just like in my comic book, only in real life! I grin at my clever use of words. Sometimes I'm just too much.

Then I freeze as I hear a sound behind me. It sounds innocent enough, it's just a faint _scratch, scratch,_ just a rat, for sure. And not the three foot one we all know and love either, just a general, run-of-the-mill rat. Then from the same area I hear the snicker. It starts out low, then rises in fervor and pitch. That same grimlen sucked-up-on-hellium snicker. My skin shivers.

Oh shell.

Shoving the phone in my belt, I bolt for the door, my heart thudding in my chest. My legs are rubbery. This can't still be happening! Surely the phone call is fake, it was just Raph playing a prank...yeah, that's it! And the scratching was a rat, of course it was a rat. What else could it be? A big, hairy rat. But it laughed. Rats don't laugh, do they? Well, _ours_ does but he's different, right?

Only one other conclusion enters my mind: it must be a monster! The monster from my dreams! But dreams aren't real, are they? But I've had one come true before, so did Donny, so that could only mean...

"GUYS!"

I scrambled away, practically falling over myself in my haste to get away. The guys are waiting for me, but don't seem to fully realize the extent of the danger that we're in right now. They merely look up at me curiously between sips of coffe and tea. I run over to them, my breath coming in huge gasps. Frantically I glance behind me to ensure that I am not being chased by a hoard of scratching, snickering, name-calling little demonic monsters.

The Lair is clear.

Turning back to my brothers I try to explain. "Guys, guys, guys!" My words spill out in a gush.

Raph groaned.

"I dreamed of these monsters, you see? Hundreds, thousands, no...millions of them! And they were evil! And bad!"

"Uh huh." Leo sipped his tea.

"But then when I woke up, I thought 'well hahaha, it's just a dream' and then one of them _called_ me on my phone and said my name!"

"Do tell." Don flipped to the next page in the newspaper.

"Of course I wasn't scared yet, but then I heard them behind me, from my room! They're probably still in there! We need to get out of here before they come after us!" Turning I gallantly led the way for my waward brothers...it took me a little bit to realize that they weren't following me.

They hadn't budged from where they were sitting. Leo still sipped his tea, Don was still reading the newspaper, and Raph still gulped his coffee. My jaw dropped. Didn't they realize the danger that they were in! I came towards them again, planning on making another try. A hand on my arm stopped me. I jumped, but it was only Sensei. Perfect! I can let him know!

I opened my mouth to explain but he shook his head. "No, Michelangelo. Not right now."

Crestfallen, I stared at him. I couldn't help it, but my lower lip started to pout. "But Sensei, really-"

"No." Once again he cut me off. "You are already later than usual in getting up. We do not have time for your stories."

"Stories?" I questioned. I couldn't begin to think what he was talking about. This was a serious situation, no time for stories!

"Yeah, like the naked flesh eating rabbit that you claimed lived under you bed-" Raph cut in through his coffee.

"-When rabbits are obviously herbivours." Don corrected.

"Or when you said that your comic books tried to eat you-" Leo sighed.

"-When they have no stomachs to even ingest you with." Don said.

"Or the beautiful princess that you claimed kept calling you and asking you out..." Raph added.

"Well, that one's kind of obvious!" Don grinned. Even old sour-puss-in-the-morning Raph chuckled at that one.

I looked at each of them in turn, trying to understand why they wouldn't believe me. Sure I lied with those _other_ stories, but this one was true! It was different! None of them bothered to notice my looks so I sighed in resignation. Who am I kidding. Of course they won't believe me. I should've realized that when I first tried to tell them. They never believe me just because I play a prank here and there, or say a silly story every once in a while. Sometimes they can be such stiffs. What they didn't understand was that this was no time to be stiffs, this was serious!

It was then that I noticed that I hadn't heard any scratchy, hissy snickers lately. Slowly I looked towards my room. My door hung open, but the space beyond it looked very black and forboding. Unusually black. I couldn't even detect the outline of my furniture beyond the void. For a moment everything seemed eerily silent, no noise except for my brother's breakfast activities. The black void seemed to get bigger, and bigger, surely it would envelop me at any second-

"Michelangelo?"

Sensei's voice startled me. I jumped and looked at the old rat. He looked at me curiously. "Why is it that you only have one nunchucku?"

What? I looked down at my belt. Sure enough, I only had one of my chucks. I must've left the other one in my room. Forgotten it in the excitement over recieving phone calls from horrendously evil monsters.

"We will be starting our morning training now, you had best go and retrieve it." He turned away and walked towards the dojo. Chairs scraped the floor as my brothers finished their drinks and left to join our sensei. I slowly looked towards my room it still looked very ominous. Black and forboding. Reeking of bad stuff and monsters. But maybe my brothers and Sensei are right, maybe it is just my imagination. I mean, nothing actually _happened_ to me, did it? No, I just got a phone call. For all I know I might've caught someone elses signal, that's happened before. Someone playing a prank on someone _else_ named Michelangelo and I just _happened_ to _accidently_ get it...possible? Man, I sure hope so. 'Cause otherwise vicious, hairy, evil, bloodthirsty little monsters are coming to get me for some reason. Why would they be coming to get me anyway? I'm just an innocent, devilishly handsome, Battle Nexus winning, self respecting mutant ninja turtle. Yeah, why would they want me? No reason! Must've just been a HUGE combination of a dream, imagination, and a bizarre coincidence.

I don't see any glowing eyes in there, don't hear any scratching, hissing, or name calling. They aren't there.

Bravely and valiantly I marched up to my room. Yet, as I approached it, the blackness didn't go away, didn't even fade a teeny little bit. Seems like a funny play of light and stuff. Maybe something funny's going on with the lighting in here that I didn't notice, yeah, that's it! Must be. But I can't help but slow my stride as I approach the ominous threshold of the black void that is my room. Not that I'm scared or nuthin,' after all, I'm the Battle Nexus Champion _twice_, champions don't get scared. Never. Nope. Impossible. Hesitantly I reach out with my hand to turn on the light. The darkness seems to swallow me as I reach in and it's all I can do but to jerk it back out and scamper over to the dojo with just one chuck. But then my brother's would see for sure that I didn't get it, they'd know why, then they'd torment me about it forever. I'd never live it down! With a gulp I felt for the switch...there it is. I flicked it on.

The moment the light covers the surfaces of my room and I see inside, my jaw drops and I inhale sharply. The scene that greets me is awful. Terrible. Impossible!

My bed, the old mattress that I use, the sheets, even the shaggy comforter, are in shreds. The blankets are sliced into thin strips like that of a paper shredder. The matress is sliced open and the stuffing is hanging out. Half the springs are missing, though I see some of them scattered around the room, the ones I do see are bent and twisted as though someone attacked them with blunt wire cutters. The bedpost and frame look as though someone attacked it with a combination of an axe and a sledgehammer. All my bookcases are in a similar splintered, broken state. Not a single one is standing, not even a single piece of one. The one tattered rug that I had in here is completely unwoven and shredded. All the stuff that I had scattered on the floor, is not only scattered but shredded, broken, and pretty much destroyed.

Then I see the box in the corner and my heart catches in my throat. _My comic books!!!_ I stumble blindly into the mass of chaos, tripping several times. The box is intact, maybe...just maybe... The moment that I reach it and look inside a sense of loss hits me so hard that it's overwhelming, like I'm dipped in a vat of icy water. With trembling hands I reach inside and stroke the colorful confetti. My eyes brim with tears. My vision is blurry. _Who_ could _do_ this? Or better yet, what?

A slight noise causes me to turn around. There in the center of my room is my nunchucku. It wasn't there before. It lies innocently on the mass of my shredded belongings. I look around. No one here but me. Who could've put it there? Slowly I approach it. Touching the familiar wood I pick it up but all of it doesn't follow. The chain is broken. They broke my chuck into two peices. Thin, scratchy words were burned black into the wood. It read:

_Give me what I want._

* * *

A/N: I Think that this is going to be a little harder to make scary simply because of the fact that Mikey is the one talking. I'll try, though. I kinda gave up wording everything in present tense because it was distracting me from my writing flow, but my readers have liked this type of writing before so hopefully it'll go well. There was an inquiry in the reviews about me getting an Expecting sequel...I am planning on doing one. Definetly. The only problem is that I'm on a kind of pre-writing block with it. I know what I want to do with it I just don't know how yet. If anyone wants to help out and shoot ideas and such then you're welcome to.

In any case, please review, let me know what you think. I don't care if you critique me or not, in fact I welcome it. Helps me be a better author.

Toodles!


	3. Monsters

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT

A/N: Hello everybody! I'm excited, finally put in the sequel to Expecting (Expectations) and am looking forward to a response, no matter how tiny. With THIS story, I was struck like a battering ram for a completely new idea for the progression of the story. Although with Mikey it'll probably be a bit challenging, I'm looking forward to trying it out!

Chapter 3

Monsters

I stared at the message etched on my chuck with utter disbelief.

_Give me what I want_.

How was I supposed to know what it wanted! I was just a turtle! I had to resist the urge to both wring my hands and clutch my head screaming. Either choice would bring out a barrage of teasing from my bros. But I couldn't help but be terrified. Monsters were targeting me! This was like that super scary movie I watched the other day, only the hero died along with everyone else but the villian! I had nightmares for days!

But this was no movie. It was real. Really, truly real. It wasn't fair, why couldn't I live the average, mundane life of an average human? Was it ordained that because I'm a turtle that all this stuff has to happen?

I had to tell them. No, they wouldn't believe me...well they gotta! I hafta find a way to make them believe me! Maybe if I showed them my room, then they'd have no choice, right? Well of course! What else could happen!

As if to answer my thoughts, I heard something shift in the rubble. Startled, my heart thudding hard in my chest, I swung my head up. Nothing. Well, actually I suppose there could be lots of things. I couldn't really see the floor of my room, and the shredded, broken stuff had a pretty thick layer. There could be things scurrying under there like giant roaches, only I don't see them because of the broken stuff. They could be all over. I could even be surrounded!

Nervously I looked around and suddenly I could picture it perfectly in my mind; my floor under the rubble being host to thousands of monsters, scurrying around me out of sight because of my shredded belongings. Piled on themselves so thick that if the stuff wasn't there, I wouldn't be able to see the room because of the mass of bodies. They could have me surrounded right now, Heck, they could be mere inches from my toes! Clearly I could see them eyeing my green skin, licking thier toothy mouths as they opened their mouths to take a bite-

_eep_!

Alright, Mikey, you gotta stop this. Remember, you're a ninja! Ninjas don't get scared over silly stuff like vicious monsters. Why would they?

Duh...

_rustle_

Once again my head whipped around so quick that I'm surprised I didn't pop it off. Something moved. There, by the doorway. There was a good amount of cotton-looking stuffing, probably from my mattress. It tremored ever so slightly, but I saw it. A tiny wisp of smoke came out of the pile before it shifted slightly. Slowly a tiny dark shape emerged out of the innocent looking fluff. I couldn't see it clearly, but I knew it must be scary looking. (What else?) The head looked about the size of a small apple. It didn't rise up enough for me to see anything else. It stopped when about half it's head was exposed, and I could distinctly make out tiny, pointed ears; like that of an otter. The head was flattish. Other than that I could only see it's eyes. They glowed, even in a lighted room they glowed as though it were pitch black.

I think I'm going to wet myself.

The glowing eyes of the creature narrowed slightly at the sight of me. Then it instantly dissappeared. I stared at the area, unblinking. Did I just imagine that? I must've, right? 'Cause monsters aren't real. They can't be. I mean, sure, the ones in the underground city were, but that was only because of the Shredder doing stuff. And there were a few on the Triceraton homeworlds, but surely those are, um, native species there? I scanned through my mind but no matter what explanation that I could think of, they all seemed like monsters to me.

That doesn't answer the question if there's a tiny monster in my room or not. I MUST'VE imagined it. But if there isn't, then what tore up my room? Wait, how long was I gone? Five minutes? Ten? Try as I might, I can't see a single, tiny monster moving that fast and that silently. Maybe there's more...

The trash strewn on the floor started to quiver in several places. Then the spots where it was wiggling began to move. Like there was _something_ under there _making_ it wiggle and now they were _moving_ towards _me_. Aw, shell!

I hopped to my feet as the hideous, slimy, evil, grotesque, scaly, evil, ugly little things burrowed towards me, hidden under the garbage. With a scream I leapt in the air, landing where the remains of my bed were. I couldn't get a solid footing amidst all the fluff and for a brief second I floundered in it, desperate to get a hold of something. My knuckle brushed against something cold and hard. Instantly it dissappeared. My heart leapt in my throat. I touched a monster!

Finally my feet found purchase in the soft slippery debris and I stood up just in time to see a dark shape by the light switch and to hear the familiar _click_ as it was pulled. Immediately I was immersed in blackness as the bulb died.

The very instant that the darkness stretched across the room, a chattering sound, like the rustling of leaves filled the room. I realized that it _was_ chattering. The chattering of monsters! It was like thousands of hushed, urgent whispers that echoed off the walls. Just like in my dream. Snickering could be heard, along with telltale hisses. Tiny, high pitched, scratchy voices drifted into the air.

_Michelangelo..._

_Mikey..._

_Give me what I want..._

_You will never escape..._

_MICHELANGELOOO!_

At that moment I threw all honor and glory out the window as I screamed at the top of my lungs. I hardly had my mouth open a second. With a sound like the scrunching of tin foil, the sounds got louder from all sides until suddenly I had a prickly feeling all over my body. The instant that I realized that the prickly feeling was thousands of tiny claws from countless monsters, I nearly lost it. They were covering me!

Without realizing it I clenched my teeth together as I frantically grabbed at the figures covering my body and tossed them away, all the while dancing around the room. My heel caught on a broken piece of something and I fell backwards flat on my shell. Whatever the things were, they covered my body with a renewed frenzy that was quickly overtaking me. I couldn't get them off fast enough! Still I fought, pummeling at them with my fists, arms, elbows, and knees. I snapped my teeth, tasted something bitter that wasn't mine and nearly vomited. Despite my efforts, I was being overpowered.

I let out a yell as I gave it my all and then some, but now my arms were weighted down. They slowly touched the trash strewn floor. The same oppressing weight were quickly slowing my frantic kicking until I could hardly move my legs. My chest heaved as I panted with the strength of my efforts. I opened my mouth to scream once more, but as soon as I opened it something soft was jammed inside. Maybe peices of my mattress and blanket, I don't know. I tried to spit it out but something, or someone, was holding it firmly in place.

One of the worst parts about it was that I could _feel_ them. Their weight in numbers, or perhaps just great strength, was keeping me from putting up a fight. I could feel their tiny litle claws, the pads of thier toes, the stroke of hairless tails as they whipped across my skin. They were cold, yet at the same time they smelled like burning flesh. They chattered as they held down my head and I could hear the smack of their lips. It's like knowing you're covered in roaches and not being able to do a thing about it.

My last hope rested on my brothers. Surely they heard me yell. Even me, being a prankster, wouldn't pull something like this. Or at least I hope that I wouldn't. Either way, they have to come up here to get me to practice. They won't fail to do that, right?

They might get attacked by the monsters as well, but then maybe I will have a chance to be free then. Then we can fight the monsters together! We always did fight well as a team, Leo thinking of a plan, Don helping us with a gadget, and Raph just plowing through them!

As though they could hear my thoughts I heard a rough pounding on the door. All the monsters froze and went completely silent at the sound of it. I strained my eyes into the blackness as though trying to motion to him that way.

There was a pause, then the turtle pounded on the door even harder. "Geesh, Mikey! What's with you today! Ya gotta get to practice!"

I recognized Raph's voice in an instant. I chomped on the fluff stuffed in my mouth to no avail. C'mon, Raph! Open the door!

He waited a second, waiting for my reply before knocking on the door a little softer. "Hey, uh, Mikey? You all right in there? That scream was just part of that stupid crap you did at breakfast, right?"

Hah! Score one for Mikey! Now what would the monsters do if I can't answer him? Raph'll have no choice but to come in here, he'll see me being pinned down by a mass of monsters and he'll help me. In the end the monsters _lose_! I couldn't think of a happier ending!

I could feel the monsters around me wriggle just a bit, as though indecisive. What happened next comletely blew my mind.

I heard a voice clear it's throat next to me. "Uh, Raph? Sorry about earlier, I'm just not feeling too well today. Let Master Splinter know that I'll be sitting this one out for me, okay?"

It sounded exactly, 100, entirely like my own, personal voice.

* * *

A/N: For some reason this chapter was a bit hard to write. It's shorter than I wanted it to be as well. And something about the writing seems a bit off...I don't know. Maybe I'm just too tired to read it accurately. Either way, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. You know that I love'em! 

Toodles!


	4. Bad Situations

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT

A/N: I am so happy that this is going well as a scary story! I love reading and watching them so much that I'm glad that I can pull it off. Thanks for the reviews, they were especially awesome!

Chapter 4

Bad Situations

There was a pause at the door after the monster beside me waited for Raph's response. The air was thick with with an odd sense of anticipation, probably from the monsters. They waited around me, so silent and still that if it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't move, I would've guessed that they weren't even here. My head was screaming. Surely he'd know my voice from a monster who is able to perfectly mimic my voice to a degree that I couldn't recognize the difference, right?

Right?

I couldn't help but whimper.

I heard something crumble behind me, where the back wall of my room was, but other than that it was silent save for my gasping breaths.

I heard Raph growl slightly and tensed my muscles again in excitement. YES! He recognized the difference! I'm saved! Boo-yah, monsters!

"What the hell you trying to pull, Mikey?! You come out actin' all excited, then you run back and claim you're sick? I'm not cleaning up after you again like the last time you played sick! You better get your scaly green butt out here right now or I'll..." The doorknob rattled, but it was a stiffled sound. It was locked. The door shook as Raph punched or kicked it. "Unlock this door now!" He growled and the door shook as he attacked it with renewed frenzy.

Or maybe he didn't recognize the difference. Oh well, either way I'm still saved!

I heard more of the crumbling, crunching sound behind me but ignored it. The monsters holding me immobile shifted slightly and for a brief instant I thought that they might let me go.

No such luck.

Instead, they tightened their little, scratchy grips on my and began to sway back and forth rhythmically, which I could tell from their holds on me. Their excitement increased, until they were practically using my chest as a trampoline. Something bad was about to happen, I knew it. It is never a good sign when monsters are happy.

I heard some type of snapping sound, like that of a breaking guitar string, outside the door. Then it was suddenly followed by a screeching crash that echoed throughout the Lair. I heard Leo scream. Leo doesn't scream...what happened? Raph cursed and suddenly he was gone from the door. Panicked voices flooded my ears as I lay trapped in the darkness.

"My son! My son! Leonardo!"

"Stay back, it might get you too!"

"Leo! LEO!"

"We need to get some equipment, we need to treat this...where's Mikey?"

"Aaaaaaaaaaagh!"

My skin was dripped in cold sweat and my heart froze painfully as I breathed in panic. What happened to Leo? What's going on? Don's looking for me, I usually help him out when he's doing medical stuff. Leo's hurt? How bad? I need to get there!

My body, which had been relaxed up until now, suddenly came to life, seized with the need to help my brother. I halfway hoped to catch the little monsters off-guard and somehow fling them off me, but they held fast. I struggled nonetheless, pushing against some enormous weight that held me down. I was helpless. I don't think that I've ever been truly helpless until now, and it's the worst possible time. Monsters have me and Leo's hurt and doesn't have me to make him laugh it off, if it can even be laughed off that is...A ball formed in my throat and my eyes burned. I didn't know what to do.

I knew why he was hurt. He was attacked by monsters because I tried to get them to help me. I should've tried to keep my big mouth shut. Now Leo's hurt, possibly dead, because I couldn't handle myself. I put my family in danger. These thoughts allowed the dam of tears to finally break the surface and I had hot streams running down my cheeks as I cried through the mattress fluff stuffed in my mouth. Here I was, supposed to protect the ones that I loved, and I'm doing just the opposite. Some great ninja I turned out to be.

Suddenly I moved. Not on my own, of course, I was still at the mercy of the monsters. But I moved _up_. They shifted their grip on me and I shuddered at the sensation of thousands of tiny clawed paws (or whatever they were) moving across my body. I don't know exactly how big they were, for all I know they were able to lift me only an inch from the floor, but once I was up I was on the move. It reminded me of a millipede. This might sound like an odd thing for me to say, but it's the only thing that I could picture. It's this funny looking shelled-worm thingy bug that has millions of legs that move in little waves. Yeah, there's probably a more technical term for it but I'm having a Mikey moment here. That must be what I look like. Geesh, I hope that these things aren't _bug_ monsters, that would be gross!

Some type of cloth suddenly moved over my arm. It was chilling, but a welcome difference to the cold prickly touch of the monsters. I realized immediately what they were doing when it tightened around me. They were tying me up. It was quickly followed by another loop, then another, until my biceps were tightly pressed to my shell. They then bound my wrists together, winding the cloth from my knuckles to up past my wrists. It was quickly followed by the binding of the legs, going from my ankles to my knees in their wrapping. The binding in my mouth was tightened and tied.

I was dropped unceremoniously on the ground and for a moment I thought that they would leave. Yeah, I know. Fat chance of that. My bindings must've had a rope or something to it, because before I could blink I was being dragged. Not slowly dragged, either. I mean tied-to-the-back-of-a-truck-going-really-fast kinda drag. My body bounced against broken peices of what I recognized to be my shelves, caused me to skid across the room and slam into the wall. I finally hit the far side of the wall where the corner was and the bindings on my arms tightened painfully as the rope caught for a moment. Then like a hot dog on a string (don't ask where I got it) I was jerked around a bend and into a jagged hole.

Yeah, I know, I can't see because it's pitch black. But I sure recognized broken bricks as I was painfully dragged over them, and my best guess is that it's a hole since I'm certain that this is where my back wall used to be. This must be what that crumbling, breaking sound was that I heard earlier.

The bricks scraped and cut into my skin as my body skipped across it. For a brief second some of the bindings caught, but as soon as I realized it the debris gave way and I bounced ahead of myself, rattling all my bones with each blow. It pulled me at a furious speed and I felt almost like I was in a roller coaster, except for the whole tied up, being pulled by monsters, in a sewer part.

I had a hard enough time concentrating on keeping my lunch in my gut and doing my pitiful best to shield myself from bouncing off of walls and other unknown objects. What happened at the Lair, even though I didn't know what, was still painfully fresh in my mind but I knew that I had to concentrate on getting out of my current situation first. But for the life of me, I just couldn't think of doing anything right now. I was going too fast and was tied too tightly, in fact I think all this pulling was making it even tighter.

Suddenly I realized that I was in the sewer. At first I could only tell because of the all-too-familiar grimy bricks with the occasional pool of stinky water. But then I began to be able to make things out. Light filtering through the grates of storm drains and the cracks around manhole covers were providing just enough light for me not to be blind anymore. I could just barely make out the faint outlines of the arched ceiling and the grungy bricks.

Moving my heels so that at least I would stay on my back while being pulled, I tipped my head back as far as it would go, straining my eyes to see who, or what, was pulling me. The first thing I saw was the rope wasn't really a rope. It looked more like a cloth bandage, like they make mummy's out of. It extended a good distance in front of me, more than I originally thought, but the end just dissappeared in the darkness in front of me. Twisting my head around even more, struggling to get a better look, I accidently flipped myself over onto my plastron.

I'll admit that it's a wierd feeling to be dragged somewhere on your back. But believe me when I tell you that it's even worse to be on your tummy! It was like I was riding on my skateboard only there was no familiar peice of wood to shield me from the rocks, bricks, and puddles. It gave me an up-front view of where I was going, which isn't neccessarily a good thing. Too scared to keep my eyes open to the onslaught, but too frightened to close them, I squinted as I was propelled forward. And still I can't see who's pulling me!

Luckily this view didn't last because of where my arms were tied and a particularly nast bump knocked me to my side. Dizzily I wondered if I'd broken any fingers. No sooner than I had flipped over again, than I hit the water. Literally.

Suddenly I was engulfed in frigid, stank water, strong currents buffeting me around like a rubber ducky in a tub with four turtles (scary scene for the ducky, believe me). I gasped for air and swallowed water, choked, gagged, and vomited it back up just as I inhaled an entire gulp. I was slammed against the round walls, dragged to the bottom where the waves slammed me down repeatedly, and was thrown up just in time for me to take a saving breath. Even though I knew they were tied, I pushed against my bindings in an effort to get a hold, to swim, heck just to keep my head up but of course it didn't happen. My stomach muscles cramped as I retched, held my breath, and tried to spit out the swallowed water. This was made harder than you think because all the mattress fluff in my mouth, but luckily the immense amount of moisture helped to flatten it enough for me to get enough air past it, though now I had to hold it against my tongue to keep from swallowing and choking on the thing, since the tape remained held fast. I knew that I would be sporting some serious bruises later. Somehow I was able to kick my bound ankles in a way that a mermaid probably would in order to reach the top. The waves were getting more steady now, and the thunderous roar of the rushing water was somehow getting louder. As soon as my head cleared the surface I saw why as the circle of light-the end of the tunnel-approached with amazing speed.

In an instant, riding the waves, I was flung into the air. A familiar feeling of weightlessness came over me as I started to fall. I screamed against the mattress fluff in my mouth as I flew, looking down at the gigantic cauldron of rushing water. Everywhere from the tremendous walls pipes jutted out, each gushing out it's own monstrous flow of water into the churning liquid below. Pipes of various sizes and shapes were strung across the center. It was these pipes that were my salvation.

I don't know if it got caught on one, or if my captor purposely started it, but either way the end of the rope got wrapped around one of the thicker pipes. It caught my weight and I steeled myself for a painful jerk. It wasn't that bad though, instead of jerking it seemed to catch me and I started to swing like a yo-yo when doing the around-the-world trick. Soon I was upside down as I continued the spin. I nearly swallowed the soggy mattress fluff and groaned as I spun and the blood rushed to my feet.

It was going to end soon enough. I couldn't spin forever, and I must've built up some speed during the spin for when I reached the end, I cracked my skull on a bolt jutting out of the side of the pipe. Pain blasted through my head and my world seemed to spin.

My vision blurred for a moment, then everything went dark.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was pretty easy to write, but I had to re-write it two times because the internet at work bombed on me in the midst of writing. Hope that it turned out all right, though. I like it. Don't forget to anyone who's interested that my second chapter of Expecting is out on the market.

Remember, if you read it, review it!

Toodles!


	5. Broken Bones

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT

A/N: Wow! This got a great comeback! Hope that I can keep it coming, I'll sure as hell try!

Chapter 5

Broken Bones

You know how in the movies and stuff, people wake up groggily, in a sleepy haze, with confusion, all peacefull-like and innocent? You know what I'm talking about, right? It's one of those 'movie things' kinda like how whenever someone has a nightmare they're always jolted awake in a cold sweat, a slight cough always means a deadly disease somewhere down the line, and dogs always single out and viciously bark at the bad guy? One of those. I wish I could've woken up like that.

I woke up in a panic. That sewer-water-soaked mattress fluff stuffed in my mouth had slipped to the back of my throat. Back far enough to effectively block my airway. I couldn't breath. I went from blissfull, sweet, ignorant sleep to my face turning purple, my eyes bugging out of my head, and my muscles cramping with their effort to rid me of this thing. My entire body spasmed in complete panic, me twitching and swinging like a fishing lure. The thing that held this fluff in my mouth felt similar to duct tape, and the swim through the sewer water had loosened the edges, but not enough to get it off, no matter how frantically I pushed at it with my tongue. My lungs were starting to burn.

Practically frothing like an animal, I sucked in with my mouth until I caught a bit of the tape with my teeth. I ground into it so hard I'm surprised that my teeth didn't snap. Not enough. I did it again and finally tore a small hole in it. Thrusting my tongue through it, I flexed the muscle (muscles are in the tongue, right?) while pushing up, down, and all around. This entire time, I've been gagging and retching so much that I was almost breathing out. I could feel that mattress fluff at the back of my tongue and was frantically trying to reach it, practically folding it in half.

I don't know how I did it, but just as my vision was beginning to blur, my stomach gave one last heave and that fluff popped into my mouth...followed by a stomach full of vomit. The worst part about it was that I couldn't just hurl it out like I normally can, because although I made a good sized hole in the tape, it wasn't enough. Pushing with my tongue, and still retching, the puke gushed out of the hole in the tape like a stream. It tasted NASTY!!! My eyes were watering and my throat burned from the acid. Plus, because I couldn't immedieately get rid of the stuff, I was on the verge of inhaling the icky stuff! Finally, the chunky onslaught was too much for even this resiliant piece of tape and it came off, allowing me to spit it all out at one time.

"AGH! GROSS! AHHH!" If my hands were free I'd be pawing at my tongue, trying to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. On top of that, my head was suddenly dizzy as oxygen rushed to it, my limbs tingling with sensation. I must've been a sight, the color returning to my cheeks and puke dribbling down my chin.

As much as I would've loved to continue getting this out of my mouth, I knew that my first order of business was getting out (Man! That sure doesn't sound like me!)...but how? Looking down at my bound hands, I wriggled my fingers. I knew that when I was tied up, I couldn't move them at all, I had even lost feeling in the tips. Maybe it was because of how long I was tied up, or the trip through the sewer, but it was definetly more loose than it was before. I tested the fabric, whatever it was. It was bound from my knuckles to halfway down my forearm, effectively pinning my arms to my chest before. Not now, though. While wriggling my fingers to try to get them under the loops I pushed at the bindings with all the strength in my arms. I began to develop a sort of rhythm in my pushing, remembering Donny saying something about it working better or something like that.

I felt the fabric give way a little bit and felt suddenly excited. It was working! I worked at it with a renewed frenzy. The fabric around my forearms was now loose enough that I could work my fingers into it. I pulled at it, not stopping the constant working of my arms. The fabric gave a little bit again. Wait...I looked at the wrappings on my forearms. It was loose-I was closer to pulling it off now-but that's not what I felt giving...I looked around. The sight was just as foreboding as before. The chamber several stories deep, pipes jutting out of the walls gushing water into the the churning pool at the bottom. I knew enough from living in the sewer that getting caught in the undercurrent could pin you to the bottom easily. That equals one dead turtle.

Once again I felt the fabric give away a little. I dropped a few inches.

I'd been hanging for so long that I didn't immediately realize where it was coming from. It was my upper arms. Pushing my chin into my plastron, I looked at them closer. From what I felt on the back of my shell that was where the rope was tied to, the one that pulled me through this mess. It gave again. I dropped a couple more inches. I felt something start to slip. As cold sweat beaded on my skin, I knew that it couldn't be good. As that something finally gave out, I found out that I was right.

I dropped so fast that my stomach must've slammed into my throat. I fell straight down, loop after loop slipping off from my arms as I began to run out of line. I looked down, eyes wide as the churning cauldron of water approached at an amazing speed. With pure panic I worked at the line on my forearms, struggling to get my hands free. The mist floating in the air seemed to pierce my skin like needles. I was a goner for sure.

At the last possible second, just as the last coil of line slipped from my upper arms, one of my hands broke free. Somehow with the other the fabric bunched around it in a knot. I snatched at the receding rope with the speed of a striking snake. I slid down it for some distance, both because of my falling speed and because the thing was wet. The fabric burned my hand as it ran through it. Somehow I was able to loop it around my knuckles at the last few feet of it. I tugged to a stop so hard that I gasped in pain as my fingers screamed. I'm pretty sure that I almost tore off my fingers. My heart still thudded hard in my chest, even as I took one incredibly shaky breath to try to get a hold of myself. Try to get into that wierd zen-place Leo's always visiting. I don't know if I found it, but I calmed down enough to open my eyes and look around.

I was hanging a scant fifty or so feet from the water surface. The sound of roaring water was defeaning. I looked up at my hand and grimaced. When I had looped the line around my hands it caught and I was beginning to wonder if I'd actually done any damage. My fingers poked out of the wrapped bundle at odd angles. Now that I kinda had time to do so, I slowly worked my other hand free of the line that had somehow become tangled with my fingers. I was careful not to accidently swing of tug at the line, knowing that my hand had gone through enough pain already. I let the remaining line from my good hand fall. Gingerly I reached up with my other hand and gently unwrapped my fingers by putting my weight on my good hand, putting enough slack in the remaining line to unwind my hand. It throbbed. The line came off the skin stubbornly, trying to stick for a second or so before finally letting go. In a couple of areas, the line had cut into my skin, leaving bloody, deep gouges in the flesh. Let's just say that it didn't look pretty.Tentatively I stretched my hand out, flexing my fingers. They crackled painfully, shooting arrows of fire up my hand. I leaned my head against my other hand, eyes shut tight and teeth clenched against the pain of it. Realizing I was holding my breath, I let it out slowly.

Looking at my hand again, I could tell that they were definetly broken. Sometimes moving them can put them back into place, which is what I was hoping, but that won't be the case here. Eyeing it closer, it appeared that I was wrong, initially. In some areas, it looked more like they were dislocated. I've set dislocated fingers before for my brothers. The best way was to get their mind on something else and then suddenly snap it into place when they least expect it. It actually helps to reduce the pain and makes it easier because they aren't anticipating it. I've had it done to me, I accidently got my chuck wrapped around a finger during a sparring match and one of my brothers yanked at it. But I've never done it to _myself_. Besides that, it looks like every joint in all my fingers except my thumb was messed up, not to mention the fractures that were probably in other parts of my fingers I had no clue if anything in my actual hand was broken.

Either way, I couldn't possibly see me doing anything about it right now. I need at least one hand to hold onto the line and keep from being turtle chow. It would be simple to use my legs to assist my one hand in climbing up...if they weren't tied up. Looking down at my bound legs I deliberated what to do. I wish I could fly, like Silver Sentry, then I wouldn't be faced with this dilemma. Well, if wishes were dollars I'd have every comic book in the world right now so I just need to figure out a way that an average, ordinary, mutant ninja turtle might be able to do it. Looking at my busted hand, I flexed my thumb. At least that still worked. After all, the line had been wrapped around my fingers and hand, leaving my thumb to grip. Lifting my legs to bring them in easier access, I looped the line around my healthy hand for extra hold and probed at the bindings. It was easier than I thought to find the end of the line (man, that sounds ominous) and work it out. I brushed my fingers a couple times against the bindings and had to bite my tongue to keep from crying out. But eventually I worked it loose.

Stretching my legs a bit and wriggling my toes to get the circulation going, I clamped my knees on the line after unlooping my good hand. I heaved myself up with my left arm (where the good hand is) and followed with my legs. I then used them as an anchor to reach up once more. Yes, a slow process, I know. But at least I was getting somewhere.

I know that I'm not known for my great patience, and there's a reason for it: it doesn't exist. So you can understand my absolute relief when I finally reached the top where it was wound around the pipe. My arm was tired from being used singularly like this, so once I slowly heaved myself up on top of the pipe, I sat there for a second, flexing it and massaging the muscles with my other thumb. I looked around. At least I chose a lucky pipe. It was bigger around than I was and firmly bolted, so I probably don't have to worry about it breaking under me. And luck of lucks, there was an empty, open pipe big enough for me to walk into about five feet to where it connected into the wall.

Slowly I stood up, holding my arms out for balance as I walked the pipe. I may not be known as the brightest, most serious, or best fighter out of my brothers, but I firmly believed that I was the most physically inclined. I could probably do backflips down this thing, though with a busted hand it probably wouldn't be the best idea.

But what I saw at the end of the pipe, in the tunnel that I was heading to, stopped me dead in my tracks.

It was a monster. A monster that looked as though it had crawled straight from the depths of Hell.

And it was heading towards me.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was so fun to write! Once again I wrote it furiously between work, I was able to read over it once, but knowing me I didn't catch all of the typos and such. Please forgive any that you might see! I hope that you enjoy reading this chapter, I hope that I explained everything accurately while still keeping Mikey in character. It's hard, because in all situations like this on the show, he's acting more like the comedy relief and I want him to be serious. With luck I pulled it off.

Well, if you read it, review it!

Toodles!


	6. Straight From Hell

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT

A/N: I've just finished the last chapter but I was on such a rush that I pumped out most of this one SO easily! I was actually waiting to post this, trying to space them out (I posted Expectations recently) then thought, what the hell! I'm going to refer to the monster sometimes as a gremlin. This is not a spoof from the movie, but the word gremlin literally means small monster, so that's why. Mikey's going to do something in this chapter that some might consider OOC, but it isn't intentional in that way. I just wanted him to do something _different_, like a person who's normally quiet yelling, you know? Kinda like Robin Williams first starring in serious movies.

Chapter 6

Straight From Hell

It stared at me with piercing eyes that seemed to sizzle a hole through me. I gulped and it licked it's teeth with a long pointed tongue.

Yes, I'm talking about a bona-fide monster. Not like the ones from the underground, which looked scary, this one was not only scary but looked _evil_. Like it had crawled from the pit of hell. It was about the size of a small cat, but was completely hairless. Not in a comical way, though I sure wish that it was, but in a kinda gross, tortured way. Like all the fur (if it ever had any) had been burned off. On the same account, its skin literally looked like it had been charred. It was black, brown, and red, wrinkled like a shriveled prune and smooth like the head of a blister at the same time. It was folding and peeling in some areas. It's body was long and sinous, like a weasel, with a little nubbin for a tail like those dogs who get their tails chopped off for the sake of breed standard. It was wide shouldered, like a rhino, and its legs were short and squat with long fingered/toed paws with claws so long and curved it was almost comical. The legs were odd, though. I don't know the exact definition for double jointed, but this must be what it is. If I count each joint as an elbow, then each leg had at least three. Somehow, at moments it seemed like more. They weren't stuck out like a spider, but rather bent at seemingly unnatural angles as though they were just thrown on. It's head was the worst. It's ears were tiny and pointed, as though stuck on there as an afterthought. The skin looked as though it had been pulled back tight like a hollywood actress, making the eyes wider than looked natural. As though following along the same rule, there were no lips to be seen, exposing the teeth to plain view. The thing's fangs were thin and needle like, sticking out of the mouth at such an odd collection of angles that if it did have lips, then they would be shredded with each movement of the jaw. Beneath the first row of teeth, countless rows could be seen like that of a shark. But it's eyes, they were white and seemed to have no real depth, like they'd go on forever. Somehow they didn't seem like eyes, either, but merely empty sockets that glowed with an evil brilliance.

We stared at each other for what must've been a solid minute. It never blinked. Just kept on staring at me with it's hypnotic gaze. My chest hurt, it felt as though my heart simply stopped beating. My limbs trembled and my skin puckered with a sudden chill. When did it get so cold in here? My eyes were burning and I realized the I hadn't blinked the entire time I was staring at it. I closed my eyes, my lids seeming to scrape along my eyeballs in slow motion. When my eyes opened again they were still glued to that spot where the gremlin was...only it wasn't there any more. My heart skipped in panic. Then I saw it. The thing had gotten off its perch and onto the pipe where I was standing on.

It was poised like a cat, its small head and unblinking eyes, one foot raised off the ground. It was eerily silent, as though even the roaring water had decided to take a break. Then the thing's foot touched the metal, it's multiple joints turning and rotating unnaturally, like you'd see on a wooden string puppet. It took another step closer to me. I took a slow step back. It took three steps so quickly that I almost thought that it was charging me. But it came to a sudden stop less than ten feet from me, it's eyes still staring straight into mine. I took a breath. During that mock charge I had nearly fallen from my spot. The fear was still sizzling through my veins, my legs felt rubbery and weak. Staggering slightly, I backed up from it. I was almost back to the spot where the line was wrapped around the pipe.

Slowly it opened its jaws, bristling with teeth, and flexed them, thick streams of saliva falling on the metal. It's eyes stayed ever open, like sockets. Then it let out a scream, so unnatural and terrifying that I don't know how to describe it. It was like nails on a chalkboard, a yowling cat, and a shrill siren all at the same time. The sound pierced the air with such a sharpness that I'm surprised the walls didn't shrink away from the onslaught. I winced, more out of fear than of pain and brought up my hands to cover my ears. My busted hand was still on fire, but somehow it didn't matter right now. I almost squeezed my eyes shut but thought better of it. My body shivered and I squatted low, hugging my legs with my elbows. I felt like a child hiding under the covers. The scream continued, ricochetting off the walls, filling the entire space with it's blind fury. But what echoed back terrified me more than anything.

_Give me what I want..._

_Michelangelo..._

_Give it to me..._

"No, no, no!" I whimpered. Against all better judgement, I closed my eyes and ducked my head between my legs and chest, rocking back and forth slightly. The screaming seemed to get louder, more intense. Scraping against every fiber of my being. "No, no!" My entire body trembled violently, and my breath came in burning, ragged gasps. My vision blurred even as the screaming stopped. Something clicked in front of me and I looked up. The thing was now a mere five feet from me. It grinned, if you could call it that, and opened its mouth. The most tormented type of raucous laughter spewed out of it's mouth, it was the laughter of people who got a kick out of lighting kittens on fire, the child abusers, the killers and souless people. It seemed like there were hundreds of them laughing at once, shrieking their pleasure at the pain of others. I could clearly picture inconcievable bony demons dancing in the light of open flame, revelling in the sound. Closing it's toothy mouth it continued it's grotesque grin as it crept closer, popping it's joints in an odd, broken gait. Then the laughter crept down to a lower volume, until it was a single, muted chuckle. Manevolence oozed from it. But the laughter changed, morphed until it was something that it was that was impossible for me not to recognize.

It was Leo.

I stared at it in complete shock as the thing bobbed quickly like a child recieving a lollipop. It was enjoying this. In some sick, twisted way, it was enjoying this!

Leo's voice, the voice of my oldest brother and leader, was coming out of that...that...that _things_ mouth! Mocking me, laughing at me in the voice of my own brother! The brother that they did something to, the one who for all I know might be lying _dead_ somewhere right now! How _dare_ they! Images popped into my head, memories of my brother, so happy. Then my imagination took flight and I imagined Leo in the clutches of these things, his scream echoed through my mind even as the monster laughed at me in his voice.

Something odd happened to me then, something that I don't think ever happened to me before. As that monstrosity got so close to me, laughing at me in Leo's voice, all my muscles tightened violently as I was filled with such a righteous fury that if my brothers saw me right now, I might not be recognizable.

My good hand brushed my nunchuku, the one they didn't break. My fingers closed around it so tight that the wood dug into my palm. The thing took another step, it was now a foot from me. My teeth clenched so tight I'm surprised they didn't shatter. It let out a hiss while still laughing in Leo's voice, bobbing it's ugly head quicker, letting it's long, pointed tongue roll out of it's mouth. I'll never know what it planned to do next, for at that instant I pulled my arm out, swinging it with more force than I ever used before. The light piece of wood became a missile as I swung it through the air. Baring my teeth like a mad animal, I watched as it collided with the thing's head. It connected with a wet crunching sound, right below the ear. It sunk in a bit as spittle and blood flew out of the monster's mouth. The monster flew off the pipe with the force of the blow, completely silent as it's limp body was swallowed up by the surging water below.

I sat there for a good minute, body trembling, my arm still extended holding my nunchuku. Waves of anger and hatred seeped out of me as my heart thudded hard against my chest and sweat oozed out of my skin. Eventually I calmed down. I stood up shakily. I couldn't believe that I had harbored that kind of anger, or that anything could bring it out of me. I still couldn't explain quite where it came from, but obviously it was there. Is this what Raph feels? Wow, what a rush! But a dangerous rush. The adrenaline flushing from my veins right now might be intoxicating, but I didn't want to get it again. It felt...bad.

Either way, I was glad that the gremlin was dead.

No sooner had that thought crossed my mind, then I could hear screeching in the tunnels. After coming face to face with this monster and hearing it's voice, I knew what it was.

I practically sprinted down the pipe. Once again I bless my extreme physical prowess that I didn't slip and fall to my doom. My legs still trembled. The last time I ate was yesterday night's snack, but that wasn't why. It was everything else. Monsters, family attacked, me kidnapped, me almost dying, then the evil monster. It was almost too much. It was all waiting for me. But I couldn't think about it right now. When I slowed down it would hit me like one of Hun's punches.

I leapt into the opening and hit the surface running. My heart thudded in my chest so loud that I thought that my eardrums would burst, but it wasn't enough to drown out the screaming of the monsters. I almost squeezed my eyes shut at the sound, but of course thought better of it. I just kept sprinting. Turn here, duck there, turn there, I don't know what I'm doing. I tried to imagine myself as one of those heroes on the monster movies, but all I could picture were the guys who unknowingly did something stupid and ended up decapitated. Great.

I heard a funny noise behind me, like tin foil, and my blood turned to ice when I realized that it was countless (sure sounded like a lot, at least) claws scratching the brick and metal of the sewerline. A fierce scream pierced the air, not unlike the one I heard earlier, but this one ticked off rather than taunting and superior. The sounds echoed throughout the sewers. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, though I was sure they were behind me. (Oh, geesh, I didn't even think that they could be up front!) Man, I couldn't even tell how far behind me they were!

Suddenly I recognized some of the area. I wasn't too far from the Lair! Excitement surged through my veins, replacing the drag the adrenaline left there. I had to hurry.

Running, I passed a gaping hole and sprinted on for at least twenty feet before I skidded to a halt so quickly I flopped in the sewer water. Getting up, I accidently used both hands to get up and hit the ground again with a loud cry, clutching my crippled hand to my chest before heaving myself up once more, cradling my injury. Scrambling over, I looked at the broken hole in the sewer system. Through a couple of layers of brick and past some pipes, I could make out the unmistakable mess that was my room (last time I saw it, at least). The hole wasn't that tall, so I had to get on my hand (yes, hand not _hands_) and knees and squeeze between some pipes to get in. I guess it's easier to dodge them when you're hogtied and being pulled by a pack of monsters.

The monsters behind me screamed. It seemed to echo straight into my ears. I winced. They were closer now, I could make that part out now. I took too long getting in the Lair. They were almost on me.

Swimming through the sea of shredded belongings, I struggled to go faster. My fist closed around the doorknob just as I heard one of the monsters scramble it's claws on the piping behind me. Not even ten feet. Then they'd get me.

I yanked open the door, whipped to the other side of it, and slammed it shut with my shell. Something thumped on the other side of the door just as it clicked closed. Many somethings. The doorknob twisted beneath my palm. I gripped it tighter.

But now I was in the Lair, maybe my brothers would be here.

As I opened my eyes, however, the scene before me told me something completely different.

* * *

A/N: I BLEW through the first 3/4 of this chapter, writing it immediately after posting the other one. It did make for confusing reviews, though. Each time I read one I had to remind myself that they were referring to the_ other _chapter. I kinda gurgled through writing the rest of the chapter, though. Hope that it lives up to standards, I really like most of it. 

Remember, if you read it, review it!

Toodles!


	7. The Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT

A/N: Thank you for the reviews everybody! I'm on such a roll with this story here! Yes, I did realize that the paragraph in my last chapter was long, but forgot until I had already uploaded it. Hope that you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 7

The Shadow

I scanned my home with wide eyes. The Lair was a complete wreck. Everything was in shambles. It looked like a toned-down version of what they did to my room. The couch was knocked over, the torn cushions scattered everywhere. Every single screen on our entertainment center was shattered, along with every CD, DVD, and everything else in that corner. I could see trash and broken dishes scattered around the kitchen and Don's lab had definetly seen better days.

The door trembled behind me.

_Them_.

Just as that thought entered my mind the door shoved itself open a few inches. Gasping, I pushed it back. I gritted my teeth and dug in my heels as the door to my room shuddered with the fury of their attacks. I had to keep them in. I could hear them thumping against the old wood. It sounded like pigeons flying into the windshield (one sound you never forget). I could hear their furious little screeches, their gnashing teeth. I was almost surprised by the strenght of their attacks. Then again, they did hold me down, tie me up, and drag me across the sewer system to hang me above a cauldron of death.

"Guys!" I called out as the monsters renewed their onslaught. "Hey, are you here! I could use some help! Are you alright? Leo? Raph? Don? Sensei? GUYS!!!"

I held the door for at least several moments before it dawned on me that my family was nowhere to be seen. I choked slightly and sagged to the floor. I was all alone. My family was gone, but to where? Did they walk out, or were they carried out? Were they even alive? The worst part about all of this was that I hadn't a clue. Any one of those things could've happened, but I didn't know. Even if I did, how could I help them? I didn't know where they were...considering that they were alive. Stop it! Don't think of that! They're alive, I know it...but then why do I feel so empty?

I don't know how long I sat there, but soon I realized that they were gone. The monsters. I had only been lightly leaning on the door, not enough to hold them back. I wonder why they left? Where were they going? Were they coming back? If they did, would it be for me? Even though it was against my best interest I turned around on my knees and with the tips of my fingers opened the door a crack. Warily I peered through the slit. Despite the darkness, I could easily make out the broken, destroyed outlines of what was left of my furninture.

No monsters.

Bodly I opened the thing up even more, enough to stick half my head through it. My skin tingled, half expecting a monster to land on my head and try to scalp me. No monster landed on my head, no monster waited by the door to dig my teeth out of my gums, no monster clung to the wall to pluck my eyes from their sockets. (Gruesome, I know. Product of one too many scary movies.) In fact, other than the destroyed furniture, the room was completely empty. The gaping hole in the back wall was eerily silent, the dripping water seeming to echo one too-many-times.

Slowly, with some disbelief, I pulled myself back. I half expected them to be waiting out for me here, instead, with little bowls to collect the blood from my severed arteries. I even squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them the Lair was the same as before. Nope. No monsters.

Why would they have left me like this?

A sharp screeching sound echoed through the space, the sound ricochetting off the walls until I couldn't tell where it came from. It cut off abruptly. I couldn't help but shudder.

Sensei's right. Sometimes I ask too many questions.

I leapt down to the main area without a sound, afraid to talk even, as though the mere thought of doing so would shatter the utter silence so violently that I would be left in slivers. On hesitant tip-toes I walked on the floor, looking around at the familiar surroundings that now were somehow unfamiliar as well. The only sound heard was dripping water. It seemed to be so loud that the sound was almost deafening, causing me to shudder once more.

I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. Nunchuku in hand, I immediately whipped around, ready to fight. Nothing was there.

Then I saw it again.

It was the pool. It rippled, as though something dripped in it. Only nothing did. The bridge arching over it was still realatively good condition, nothing had fallen into it. So far as I could see, there was nothing that would drip into it...

It rippled once more, starting near the center and fanning out in ever-increasing circles. Suddenly even the sound of incessant dripping of water seemed to fade as the pool approached closer. No, it was me approaching the pool. Why?

Man, this sure had an Alfred-Hitchcockian feel to it.

My feet moved of their own violition to the edge of the pool that lead to the river. Feeling dizzy, I sucked in a painful breath and squated at the edge. Releasing the breath I looked over into the water.

Leo stared back at me.

My heart hitched painfully and I gave a strangled cry as I scrambled away from it. I sat there, legs splayed, for several seconds panting heavily. My arms trembled as I slowly shifted position and started to creep towards the edge on all fours. I tried to say something-anything-but all that came out was a dry, painful croak. This couldn't be good.

Once again I reached the edge. Nervously, I licked my lips and took a steadying breath before I leaned over to peer into the water once more. This time, I didn't stagger back.

It really was Leo.

I could see him as though he were my reflection, like he were on the other side of the water peering back at me. He blinked his eyes, then stared straight into mine. A wave of coldness swept through my body, causing me to shiver. "Leo? Is that you?" My throat was so dry that it came out as a whisper.

Leo blinked again then stared at me with renewed recognition. "Mikey?"

His voice sounded...different. I wouldn't say muffled, exactly, but maybe staticy, in waves. Like the girl in the movie _Exorcist_ when she got trapped in the TV, that's what he sounded like. (Yeah, I know, best description I could think of)

I couldn't help but grin. "LEO!" With a surge of happiness I reached out to touch him with my good hand. But as soon as I touched the surface of the water, it _bent_. As though it were covered in saran wrap. It felt like the surface of jell-o. As my hand touched the surface, I simply pushed it in. It stretched down, like rubber, offering resistance to my touch but never once actually breaking the surface. My heart twitched. The worst part was Leo. He started to dissapate, like anything does if you disturb the surface of the water. But I wasn't exactly _disturbing_ it, it wasn't even acting like water! Either way I yanked my hand back, both from the odd feeling of the unbreakable water surface and to try to keep Leo's image.

Frantically I stared at the water. Leo was looking around, startled as his image broke up. As soon as I pulled back, though, he started to, uh...come together again. He looked at me again, an odd look in his eye. Straight to business. "Mikey, you can't give it to him, you can't!"

By now there was a ball in my throat and my eyes were beginning to burn. I choked slightly. "Leo, I - I don't even know what they want! What the heck they are! Let me help you, Leo! How do I get you out of there? What happened? Where are the others? Leo?" I wiped my eyes, resisting the temptation to reach out to touch my brother once more.

"No matter what, you can't give in!" He told me again, his eyes boring into mine.

I felt the wetness on my cheeks and wiped it against my arm once more.

"You have to promise! I mean it, promise me Michelangelo! Swear on your honor!"

I stared at him. He was so _serious_, so just like _Leo_. Biting my bottom lip, I nodded. "Alright. Okay, Leo. I swear. I swear on my honor I won't give it what it wants. Now let me help you, please!"

He shook his head. "No, not me right now. Find Splinter and our brothers. They'll need you. Only you can get us out of this." The water disturbed again, even though I didn't touch it. My eyes darted frantically over the water. I couldn't help but sigh in relief when his image came back together again. But what caused the disturbance in the first place?

"But I don't even know what's going on, how can I help everyone?"

He seemed to lean in, staring at me more intently in that way that he does. "Mikey, you'll have to-." Just like that, his voice cut off, as though someone just pulled the cord. His lips continued to move as he continued to tell me. It was like watching a TV show on mute-maddening.

If I had hair, I'd be pulling it out right now. Instead I grabbed the sides of my bandana, pulling at it. "Leo, Leo! I can't hear you! Leo, what's going on? LEO!"

Suddenly he stopped speaking, his mouth pausing in mid-sentence. At first I thought it was because he heard me, but it wasn't so. He looked around, alarmed yet cautious. Then he saw something that made him jump. He started coming at me in earnest, moving as fast as he could yet getting nowhere at all. His eyes were shocked and wide, his teeth set. Stretching his arm out, he reached for me.

Considering my experiences with him in the pool so far, I wasn't sure what I expected to happen. But I sure wasn't expecting this at all.

His fingertips bulged through to the surface, stretching it upwards in an odd, morbid way, never once breaking the surface. His palm pushed against it, pushing it out eerily. With a cry I tried to reach for him, but just like before the surface couldn't be broken. I tried to grab onto his finger but it was too slippery for me to get any purchase. His bulging eyes stared into mine as I tried but failed.

Then darkness edged the surrounding water, like someone poured ink into the edges of the pool. Like tendrils of thick, black hair it started to cover the water slowly. Leo screamed in his silent, open jawed scream as the blackness hooked it's dark fingers around his body. Abruptly he was covered in the blackness and his outstretched hand dissapated and dropped into the pool with a slight splash.

I couldn't see my brother any more.

"Leo? LEO!" Not completely aware of the tears on my cheeks I tore at the water with clawed hands. It splashed as water should, though was still the pure blackness that was impossible to see into. I didn't stop my frantic splashing, not immediately noticing as steadily it grew thicker and thicker until I felt like I was churning through mud. It began to be too painful to use my broken hand. I continued anyway, with just my good one. Leo was so close, _so close_, yet I couldn't do a thing for him. Somehow I just couldn't accept that. I just couldn't.

Then the water started to rise and I stopped. Because when I say rise, I mean _rise_. It was as though someone in a black sheet was being lifted out of the water, only it was eerily silent and the water still wasn't acting like water and as much as I hoped it to be it wasn't actually a person in a sheet. It was like a shadow, with unlimited depth and no shine or distinguishing mark. It rose until it was at least twice as high as I, thin and towering like a malnourished giant. I craned my head so far back that I toppled backward, slack jawed. On my hand and knees, I half crawled half crabwalked away from the thing, all the while my eyes bugging out of my skull. It expanded until it was wider then the pool itself and enveloped the bridge in a cloud of blackness. My knees trembled. Then it spoke.

Have you seen the movie Harry Potter when he's speaking in the snake-language-thingie? You know how it sounded whispery and seemed to echo off all the walls? That's how this thing sounded. The shadow thing arched its (back?) until it was halfway looming over me and whispered...

_Michelangelo..._

_Michelangelo..._

_Give me what I want..._

_Give me what I want..._

My jaw worked as I stared unblinking at the thing and it loomed closer. Suddenly the top began to have definition, substance. A milky white color swirled into it like creamer in a coffee and I could make out the definite characteristics of a face. Bold, white eyes flashed at me and it leaned even closer. My arm gave out and I flopped flat on my shell as sweat beaded on my skin.

The thing closed in until it was a scant few inches from my very nose. I couldn't stop staring. The face of this shadow was terrifying. I won't even try to explain it, you'll just have to use your imagination.Those inches closed in and that mouth, that silently screaming mouth, nearly touched the crook of my neck.

_Give it to me..._

I could almost _feel_ that breath on my neck and I shivered. Suddenly I could see Leo's face in my mind. "No." I whispered.

It got away from me so quickly I was surprised I wasn't sucked in with it. It reared back to where it was before, towering over me.

_Give it to me..._

Leo's face was still pictured clearly in my head as I stared at the shadow monster. A new surge of adrenaline brought on some bravery to my lips as I snarled at it slightly and with a much stronger voice yelled "NO!"

The shadow trembled visibly and let out a long hiss, one that played on my skin like the coldest of breezes. Then it pulled from the pool and shot out of it, riding on an unseen wind.

I don't know exactly why, but I chased it. Scrambling to my feet fast enough to scrape my ankles really good I lunged after it. It shot to my room like a runaway balloon. Underneath the door, through the gaping hole in my wall, and down the sewer line. I accidently smacked my busted hand against the opening but I didn't care. It was after something important and I was going to find out what.

Bandana tails whipping, I ran faster than Forrest Gump himself as I chased that thing through various twists and turns through the sewers. Something told me that it's destination wasn't going to be good.

Sometimes I hate it when I'm right.

We were on my family before I knew it.

They were walking down the sewer, together but separated. It knocked Raph over with a strong, buffetting wind. He hit the sewer water with a grunt and a splash. Gasping in shock at the shadowy monstrosity, Don jumped back into the sewer wall, staring at the shooting shadow with bugged eyes.

We all realized the thing's target just a little to late.

"SENSEI! LOOK OUT!"

We all yelled this simotaneously, but as I said it was too late. Master Splinter, who was leading my brothers, turned around and saw what was coming at him just as it hit him in the chest. He was knocked completely off his feet. The walking stick and satchel he was carrying flew out of his paws. He was flung through the air like a rag doll and hit the sewer wall with a pained grunt. The shadow stuck around him like giant, thick, tarry chewing gum leaving only his limbs and head poking out.

All three of us rushed to him. He was so high we could barely reach his hands. We cried. "Sensei!" "Master Splinter!" "Father!" "Splinter, please!" "NO!" I stared into his eyes as searing hot rivelets of tears poured down my cheeks.

He coughed as though he was having trouble breathing. We clutched frantically at his tail, his legs, his feet, his hands, anywhere we could find purchase. Furiously we clawed at the black, gooey shadow that made him cling to the wall so, but we couldn't even get a grasp on anything, just rake our nails uselessly across it's surface. Splinter flailed his hands, trying to grasp ours even now. He started to sink into the wall. An odd look fell over his eyes, one of pain, both physical and emotional.

He continued to sink into the wall.

Tail thrashing, he clawed frantically at our hands. "My sons!" he somehow croaked out. What was it doing, strangling him?! "My sons! I-" His throat closed off for a moment. With a considerable effort he swallowed as he sank into the brick even further. Now he was into the wall up to his ears. His tail was no longer visible and his hands and feet flailed, looking odd without legs and arms to connect to them. The thick gooey-ness of the shadow was gone, now only blackened brick. "I-I love you all. Never for-forget th-that! I-ack!"

His voice was cut off as the base of his muzzle started to sink into the dingy sewer wall. He stared at us with bug eyes, tears brimming at the corners until all but his nose remained.

Then it was gone too.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was longer than I normally do but I have no problem with it because I love it so much! PLEASE tell me what you think of it! I'm not used to packing so much into one chapter and can't help but wonder if I went too fast. I wanted Splinter's, uh, dissapearance to be kinda quick and shocking. As the Leo thing. Hope I achieved it well enough.

Remember, if you read it, review it!

Toodles!


	8. Harsh Decisions

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT 

A/N: Thanks for the thunderous reviews, people! I'm glad that ya'll are enjoying this so much, any writer would. Hope you like this chapter just as much. I might be jumping into a black hole of contempt for the ending of this chapter, but for some reason it's the only way I could write it.

Chapter 8

Harsh Decisions

With a half-animal cry Raph jumped at the wall, pounding at it with his fists, clawing at the brick with bare fingers. Mouth curled into a fierce snarl.

Don stood off to the side a bit, the shock evident on his pale face. He fingered his bostaff and it trembled along with his hands. His mouth worked but nothing came out. Then his eyes squeezed shut and he covered his face with one hand, shoulders shuddering.

I looked from one to the other, unsure of what to do. The pit in my own stomach was almost to horrible to bear, but my brothers needed me to help comfort them. But how? Sensei had just been pulled into the wall by the Shadow monster. Just thinking that made it sound like some comic book, not real life. Real life isn't supposed to be like this. Not this horrible! My knees felt weak as I took a shuddering breath. I could feel the lump in my throat expanding as I shakily made my way to to spot where Sensei dissappeared. With a gentle hand I touched the cold, grimy brick. He was gone, just like that...

"Mikey..."

I looked up and realized my vision was blurry. I wiped my tears from my eyes and looked at Don, who was staring at me with wide eyes. His hand slowly fell from his face and a shaky look of-relief?-spread over his face as his eyes bored into mine.

"Mikey, we thought that they'd gotten you too..."

Before I knew it my brother was embracing me, holding me tight. At first it took me completely by surprise. We, being manly-men don't normally do stuff like this, but under the circumstances... With a strangled cry I returned the hug, clasping my brother to me.

Raph broke out of whatever reverie he was in and realized that I was here. Even though his eyes were wet and choked with emotion, he simply cocked a grin and put a hand on my shoulder. "Thought that I'd failed and lost you there, you know..."

I grasped his arm and yanked him into our embrace. He struggled a bit, then gave in (pretty easily) while mumbling half-heartedly about mushy stuff. At this moment, me hugging two of my brothers, I realized that despite what was happening, with Leo and Splinter dissappearing like that, I still had something.

Then one of them squished my hand.

With a yelp I leapt back, holding my hand gingerly. Don's attention snapped to it immediately. "Mikey-" His eyeridges raised at the sight of my pulpy, pulverized hand. "What happened?" Raph nudged in beside him, wanting to know the same thing. How did I come back?

All I could really say was, "I didn't really go anywhere _really_ different. Just-" and so I began to tell them everything that happened. Don's face remained both expressionless and studious as he listened to my story and gingerly inspected my hand. Raph's face went through such a wide variety of expressions that at times I wanted to laugh. Don had to cut off his interruptions several times. Somehow he knew whenever they were going to pop up.

When I finished they were silent for a little bit. Raph was glaring at everything, stewing, and Don simply looked thoughtful. "Mikey, I'm sorry but there's not much I can do for your hand right now. I need more supplies." I looked at him. Somehow I had expected him to comment on the story first, but this was good too. He pointed to the bones of my hand, then my fingers. "You see these bones, the metacarpals?" He ignored my confused look. "They're each broken, some with more than one. And your _fingers_, " he grimaced, "they're all jumbled; dislocations, fractures and breaks." He shook his head. "If I tried to fix it right now, it would be to painful to do it properly. Your muscles need to be completely relaxed, which is hard to do when your screaming. For this, I'd have to knock you out. For now, I think, we'll try to splint it. Keep it from getting worse. And you can take these." Reaching in his bag he brought out a plastic bottle and gave me a white pill. I recognized it immedietly. Ibuprofin. Anti-inflammatory, I think. All I know is that it works wonders for busted knees, twisted ankles, killer bruises, and lots of other fighting-type injuries. I don't know how April got her hands on so many.

Placing a roll of tightly packed guaze in my palm to keep its shape, he gently wrapped my hand.

"Enough of that shit. Yeah, your hand is bad but no offense Mikey, we've got bigger stuff to deal with." Raph glared off into space. "From what you tell me-and I'll try to assume that it's true-Leo isn't dead. How could he speak to you if he's dead? And what the hell dows that thing want?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, Leo just told me not to." I looked at him. "What happened to Leo?"

A troubled look swept over his eyes and he shook his head. "I-I don't know how to describe it. It's like-the stuff on the TV came _alive._" He stared off into space, shuddering slightly.

I gave him a scared yet puzzled look. Looking sad, Don sighed. "Mikey, you've seen _The Ring, _haven't you?" My eyes widened. I most certainly had! Seeing the look on my face, he nodded somberly. "Yeah, like that." Turning to Raph, he nodded. "What if they are alive? I mean, they didn't exactly..._die_ or at least with what happened to them..."

"No one could survive what Leo and Sensei went through."

A thought occurred to me. "What if when I saw Leo, it was actually the monsters playing a trick?" I shuddered to think that I'd been talking to one of _them_.

Don shook his head. "Why would they conjure up an image to tell you to do exactly the opposite of what they want, whatever it is?"

We looked at each other, with a glint in our eyes. We were all thinking the same thing. About what it would be like if we hadn't actually just lost our brother and father. Hope glinted bright in each of us and my heart felt lighter somehow. Maybe all was not lost.

"Wait a sec." Raph broke the moment. "If he's not dead, where is he? And how did he do what he did?" I opened my mouth to answer when a chilly voice echoed off the walls.

_Run_

Don started, then looked around in nervous bewilderment. Slowly, with delicate fingers he pulled out his bostaff. "Did anyone else hear what I just heard? Guys?"

I looked over at Raph. His sai were drawn and he was tense, ready to spring at the slightest movement. "Yeah." He mumbled through clenched teeth. "I heard it.

_RUN_

"You guys, I think we should listen to it." I paced from foot to foot. I was spinning my nunchuku nervously. Why did that voice sound so familiar?

Just then an inhuman screech sounded from the end of the sewers. All three of us jumped and whirled towards the sound. It didn't sound like the other monsters I faced before, this one sounded more like a cat who got it's tail pinched. It was immediately followed by a tiny, skittering sound not unlike a woman with manicured fake nails tapping glass. It was all over, echoing off the walls, raising to such a deafening roar that invaded our ears.

_clakclakclakclakclakclakclakclakclakclakclakclakclak_

I tried to cover my ears at the sound but it did no good. Don and Raph were frozen in their stances, faces pale. The sound was terrifying, but in a way it was hypnotic. Constant, rhythmic...My eyes drooped a bit as I seemed to go far away. Peaceful. The sound suddenly didn't seem so loud, though for some reason I knew that it was. At the same time everything seemed so hazy that it didn't matter. Woozy, I felt woozy. Sleepy...

_Run, my sons! RUN!_

I was knocked out of my reverie and gasped as I finally recognized the voice. Master Splinter! Furiously I shook my head clear of all the cobwebs. Looking at Raph and Don, I could see their relaxed positions, the dreamy look in their eyes; they were caught. Whipping around I stared down the sewer canal. The light played on the wall. Suddenly, in that light I could see a mass of tiny shadows so thick... Master Splinter said run and I didn't need any further urging. I shouted, but my brothers gave no response. Bolting from my spot, I purposely shoved into Don and Raph to break them out of the hypnotic sound. Raph instinctively swung his fist as soon as he was struck, nearly clipping my shoulder. I grabbed his arm and yanked him so hard he yelped. Don was caught more off guard and not having the exact same reflexes as our hothead brother, lost his balance, and fell on his shell in the sewer water.

Raph and I were already a good distance away before we realized this. We skidded to a stop, making the putrid water shower the air. Immediately we backpedaled to our fallen brother.

He had already scrambled to his feet and was lunging towards us, brown duffel bag flapping at his side. We slowed down as he reached us. Simotaneously Raph and I each grabbed an arm and helped to yank him along with us.

Until we were jerked backward.

Raph turned to Don, ready to yell a profanity for stopping until he saw the look on Don's face and froze. He had a look of abject terror and pain etched into his bulging eyes and sweating skin. Twisting his arms around, he grabbed our shoulders so hard it hurt. I was about to ask what it was until he was yanked back again. This time hard enough to make us stumble.

Straining forward, I peered behind my brother and saw a spider. Or what looked like a spider. It wasn't very big, the fat abdomen maybe the size of my palm, but its appearance made up for it's size. It was slimy, grotesque, had too many uneven limbs in odd places and had thick, coarse hair growing in patches here and there. It had (hands?) like a praying mantis, curled up and jabbing. Its abdomen was lumpy with what could only be described as blisters. The head was what really frightened me. On a long, serpentine neck was what looked like a white mask, showing no expression at all yet somehow still being able to burn a look of hatred and evil to the very depths of my soul.

Attatched to its rear was what could only be a silk thread. Like that of a spider. The other end traveled down the sewer until it was out of sight.

The spider monster swung its little head at me, grinned, then gave its abdomen a tremendous jerk. Once again Don was nearly jerked out of our grasp. Raph growled, and swung his sai at the thing. The smooth metal prongs _slipped_ off the monster's surface until it came between it's many legs. Raph jerked and pulled at it, but looking at it you couldn't tell. It skittered up toward's Donny's head, easily stepping over the steel.

Don pushed against the weight, struggling to break free of the thing's grasp. But it just continued up, digging the sharp points of its legs painfully into his shell.

Taking a chance, Raph completely let go of Don. Don staggered back, pulling against it as I did everything in my power to help him do so. Gripping one sai with both hands, Raph reared it up high before bringing it down with a roar on the monster with more force than I've seen before. The sharp steel point bounced off the monster's abdomen and the teeth wedged itself between the silk line. Throwing his own body to add weight to the momentum, Raph landed harshly on it just as the point came down.

The creature gave a strangled, gasping sound of pain as the silk ripped itself from it's rear. With the pressure gone, Don toppled forward on top of me in the murky water of the sewers. Immediately he started convulsing. Kicking and screaming he frantically tried to reach at the creature. He rolled around, arched his back and threw himself purposely to the floor once more.

Raph half chased at him with his sai poised, trying to get a good look at the monster. But Don was wriggling too much. "Don, stop moving! DON!"

The skittering was still there. With horror I stared down the sewer and saw what must have been a sea of these creatures. They were coming for us. We didn't have time! Frantically I got up and ran towards Don and Raph.

Just then Don went so completely still that I froze in my tracks. Raph stopped, looking at his brother intently. We were both thinking the same thing, 'is he dead?' I hoped it wasn't true. And my hopes were realized when he blinked. But that's all he did. Blink and look at us.

"Don, you gotta get up! There's more of them coming! We gotta get out of here!" I pulled at his arm. Hearing my words Raph looked down the sewer and cursed. He was reaching to grab Don as well when I finally turned him over. We stared in shock.

The spider was still on his back. Only it's head was _in_ the back of Don's neck. No wonder he couldn't move!

Raph snarled and his sai was brandished once more. He stabbed furiously at it. Once again it bounced off. He tried again, again, again...all with the same result. He struggled to pry it off, twist it off, everything he could think of with no result. He shouted at it furiously.

It was then that the wave hit.

I looked around and the spider monsters were covering Don's legs. I swept them off frantically. "It's alright, Don. We're gonna get you outta here. We are, I swear!"

Raph kicked, stabbed, and punched at them in a blind rage. I tried to grab Don's arm and pull him away, but my bandaged hand was useless. Then he began to get pulled away from me, I dug my heels in the slimy ground beneath the water, but I couldn't get a hold. They were taking my brother away from me.

Then Raph cried out in pain. I whipped my head around and saw him fall to the ground. A spider monster had imbedded it's head in his upper thigh, just below his groin. His leg flopped uselessly in the water. The wave was approaching ever closer.

I looked at Don. Half his body was covered by the spiders, they were pulling him harder and harder. I could hardly keep a grip on his arm. With only one hand to grab at him, I definetly couldn't keep this up for much longer. He looked back up at me with wide, terrified eyes. I looked at Raph, who laid in the water, cursing. An icy arrow pierced my heart to its very core as I realized that I would be forced to make a choice. I couldn't save both of them.

Don coughed. I looked back at him and saw tears brimming in his eyes. He flicked his eyes to Raph twice, then looked straight into my eyes. I knew what he was saying. I shook my head, the knot in my throat getting bigger until my eyes were flooded. His eyes smiled, then he closed them and didn't open them any more. Sobbing, I looked at the horrid mass of monsters that swarmed around him. Pulling him into their depths. They were going to take him...then I looked at Raph. The monster was gone from his leg but the limb was still uselses. Growling, he was dragging himself away from the creatures.

But he still had a good leg, workable arms. Don couldn't move at all and I had a bum hand.

I looked back down at Don and his eyes were open again, flooded with understanding. I nodded, then with a racking sob let go of his arm.

Without any resistance he dissappeared into the creatures, until for a split second it was like he wasn't even there.

* * *

A/N: Wow, is this a long chapter! Or longer than my usual, anyway. Hope it was enjoyable nonetheless. If you didn't understand the whole 'choosing' thing then it will be more thoroughly explained in the next chapter. It was meant to be kinda vague here. If you do get it, then I'm not trying to be OOC, but when you're in situations like that tough decisions are made all the time. Triage for Wartime, for example, set aside the ones that could be saved, but the time and effort could be used in saving two, three or more. You could say that these experiences are toughening Mikey up a bit. Trust me, though, Mike's going to have a lot of inner turmoil next chapter from this. 

Remember, if you read it, review it!

Toodles!


	9. From the Air and Water

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT 

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm happy to be back writing finally. The problem is that at work we're at 1/5th our regular staffing, and on top of that the base decided that the TMNT is 'a threat to national security' or something, because they blocked it. As I do most of my writing during slow duty days, coupled with the workload at work and my writing won't be as frequent as it once was. I ask you to bear with me, so long as my stories stay at least somewhat interesting I suppose that will happen. With luck I can keep it up!

Chapter 9

From the Air and Water

Instantly I dashed over to Raph and grabbed his arm so hard that he cried out as my fingers dug into his muscles. I yanked him to his feet, where he immediately fell to his side with a curse as his limp leg proved useless. Swinging around to his other side, my shoulder caught him in the armpit. Half dragging him, half helping him, we started forward.

The spider monsters screeched and the clattering got to a deafening roar. I tried to block from my mind the image of Don covered in those things. I gritted my teeth as I surged forward with Raph on my shoulder. He stared ahead with wide eyes, mouth open, panting. Whipping his head around he looked over his shoulder. I could hear him hiss through his teeth.

"Mike, I think we left Don!"

I squeezed my eyes shut and urged him forward once more without a word. I just couldn't bring myself to answer him. I had killed him, how could I tell him that? That I consciously chose one brother over the other? I'd never be able to look him in the eye again. My heart felt like lead in my chest.

Considering our condition physically, we were traveling at a breakneck speed, though if physically fit this would be at the pace of a brisk walk. We were probably going too fast, but we had to keep ahead of the spiders. We couldn't let them get us too. Besides, I had to save my brother, my last brother. Especially after what I did to my last brother...

"Mike, didn't you hear me? We left Don! Turn around!"

I pressed my lips together, saying nothing. He stared at me, waiting impatiently for a response. The spider monsters screeched once again in the background. Somehow they seemed more distant, but I knew that that wasn't the case. They were probably surging to overtake me and Raph, just as I allowed them to do to Don.

Having enough of my ignoring him, Raph growled. Bracing his one functioning leg, he resisted me. Not trusting myself to speak, I tugged at him, lips pinched shut. He tightened his muscles and twisted in my arms. His good foot dragged up a dredge of gunk from the sewer floor. I struggled to deal with the struggling brother, not knowing how I forgot how difficult he could be. Two legs won over one and I dragged him skippingly across the sewer water, his foot scraping the grimy floor. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He glared at me but I avoided his gaze. Quickly I shook my head. With a snarl he wriggled in my grasp. "We have to go back!"

I shook my head again, not daring to meet his gaze. His eyes widened with understanding, that we were leaving our brother behind. Growling, he started to twist in my arms. "Let go of me..." He pumped his arms. By now I was dragging him from behind, walking backwards, arms hooked in his armpits. He threw his elbow back. It connected solidly with my stomach. I jerked to a stop as all the breath was knocked out of my lungs.

Taking advantage of my abrupt halt, he slipped from my grip and splashed in the water. With tremendous force he hauled himself to a standing position by pushing off of me, sending my careening to the floor. He tried to balance on one foot as we did during training,holding out his arms for leverage. But balancing with both legs functioning is different from one simply being dead weight. He wasn't upright for more than half a second when he was already careening to the ground once more. Furiously he thrashed at the water, cursing loudly.

Immediately after regaining a breath, I rushed to help him. With an angry shout he thrust me away so hard that I almost fell to the ground again. Eyes burning and throat aching with unshed tears, I ran at him again nonetheless. He swiped at me again, sending a long splash of sewer water in my direction. I halted as it splashed against my plastron and stared at him. My arms quivered slightly, I ached to help him, but knew in my heart that he would viciously refuse any assistance I offered.

My heart ached.

He just laid there, propped up on his elbows, staring into the water, pointedly ignoring me and breathing heavily. It seemed to echo into the tunnels, making the profound silence even more...

Wait, silence?

We both realized the quiet at the same time, both whipping our heads towards where we had just come. What I saw brought a surge of joy and a sense of loss at the same time.

Just as suddenly and mysteriously they appeared, they were gone. No monsters, no Donnie

We both stared, stunned at the sudden emptiness. I just couldn't understand how an entire wall of demonic monsters could dissappear so suddenly, without us knowing. Just as puzzling was _why_ they dissappeared. We were both crippled. Handicapped prey ripe for the taking. So why not take?

Swinging around on his palm, Raph faced me, elbow deep in sewer water and glared with vehemence.

"YOU!"

My mouth gaped open, staring at him as he stared right back with accusing eyes. My own eyes burned even hotter. "YOU!!" He repeated.

Thrashing in the water, he swung at me. He was too far to connect, and with practically draggin his lower half, he wasn't that quick, but the blow struck deep nonetheless. Screaming at me with rage and pain he swung again, this time overdoing himself in his crippled state and flopped into the grimy water.

I swallowed hard but the tight lump in my throat wouldn't go away. Shaking so hard I was almost staggering, I ran towards him.

He swung again, teeth bared like a wild animal. "You left him behind!" I touched his shoulder and he hit my arm hard enough to make me wince. "He was are brother you coward!" I grabbed his arms and he punched my chest. The breath whooshed out of my lungs but I didn't let go. "Do you hear me? HE WAS OUR BROTHER!" He struck at me again as I tightened my grip. "HE WAS OUR BROTHER! OUR F#KING BROTHER! How could you just LEAVE him like that! Did you ever CARE for him at ALL!"

Finally I managed to crush him close, this thrashing, violent brother of mine. He had hit me, probably would've hurt me, but he was my brother. I knew it was his way of dealing, because he didn't know how. Who does know how? We had already lost two brothers and a father, who knows what we would lose by the end of the day. All we had was each other to depend on, and I'd be damned if I'd let that break. He can blame me all he wants, but he's still my brother.

That lump in my throat broke and hot tears spilled out of my eyes, running thick rivers on my cheeks. I sobbed into my brother's shoulder, my own shoulders shuddering with the depth of it. It was too much. Too much loss, too much pain, too much badness. I didn't know if I could take it.

It took me a moment to realize that he wasn't fighting me anymore, in fact his arms were wrapped around my neck as well and my own shoulder was wet with something that wasn't sewer water. The realization of his own tears only served to open my own floodgate wider as I cried. What else could we lose?

His grip around me tightened as he embraced me. He trembled slightly before the pressure was released. Raph stayed with me, leaning his head on tthe crook of my arm as he gave a shuddering sigh.

"Sorry for hitting you."

"It's alright."

"I shouldn't of yelled like that."

"No problem."

"Didn't mean to say all that."

"Say what?"

Suddenly he pulled away from me and held me at arms length, studdying me with wet eyes. I grinned under his searching gaze and cocked my head, not even bothering to wipe away the tears. "You're my brother, I wouldn't let words come between us!"

It seemed to take a moment for my words to sink in before he shook his head quickly, as though to clear out the cobwebs. He released me and quickly wiped his eyes, eager to hide the evidence of emotion. I couldn't help but grin as I watched him.

He turned around to stand up but stopped short as he apparently forgot about his dead leg. He looked down at it and cursed it soundly. Still grinning, I touched his elbow, offering my help. The red-banded stared at me for a second before grudgingly putting his hand in mine. I hoisted him up.

"So, what now?" I wondered aloud.

"Well, obviously the monsters or whatever they were didn't pass us, so they went down in that direction. That's where we're going, to find Donny."

I nodded, not offering a word in argument to his plan. After all, what else would we do?

No sooner had that thought entered my head than a piercing screech sounded from behind us. Freezing, we both slowly turned our heads.

Not another monster...

As if to answer our thoughts, something glinted at the outer end of the passageway. I couldn't do anything but freeze where I was, awaiting the fresh new horror that was so anxious to meet us. Raph growled low in his throat and I could hear his sai being slipped out his belt. I fingered my own nunchuku out of the leather.

The screech sounded again, louder this time.

I helped Raph turn around as I did the same. Tensing our muscles we both braced ourselves. After what just happened, we were in no mood to run. Besides, with his leg and my busted hand we wouldn't get very far anyway. It looks like this next monster will have a fight on it's hands.

Then it finally appeared in the light.

I can't quite think of the right way to describe this thing. It was the size and shape of a spider monkey, only turned inside out with no tail. It's ribs were plainly visible, I mean ivory bone winking at us in the light kind of visible. Hence the inside-out part. It had skinny, gangly arms and legs with the white bones portruding and long claws the shape of fishooks. It's teeth were turned inward and long an thin, like that of a cat. It sported the wings of something like a bat, but was also distinctly similar to an insect. Not sure how well you could picture that...It had no eyes to speak of, only blatantly empty eyesockets that went on forever.

With a squeaky, nails-on-chalkboard screech it spread it's claws and flew straight at us.

My good hand was moving before I even realized it. The spinning wood connected so solidly with the side of it's head the _crack _echoed in the walls. The thing flew to the side, crashing into the brick just as at least a dozen more came in it's wake.

I gritted my teeth and swung again, using the arm of my bad hand to support Raph's shoulder. My nunchuku connected many times, the air was littered with the sound of the wood impacting on flesh. Raph, relying on my to support him upright, freed both arms and was a mad machine with both his sai. The steel glinted in the air as the stabbed, sliced, and gouged their way through flesh and bone alike.

But it wasn't to last. I knew it wouldn't. We were two injured warriors, forced by our conditions to remain motionless while the agile enemy flitted around us. It was inevitable, I guess, that we would fall.

I was the first. Maybe they realized that I was the one supporting Raph, maybe I don't fight as well with one arm versus two, or maybe I'm just unlucky. But either way it stung when one of the creatures collided with my chest. Thank's to Raph, it was already a tad bit sore. A demonic monster crashing into it didn't help. Who would've thought?

The blow caused me to stagger back a few steps. As if on cue, there was anothe monster flying behind me and it smacked it's thick wing on the backs of my knees in the same instant. Needless to say, I fell backwards.

His support gone, Raph hardly lasted a second upright. He hadn't even hit the sewer water when one of the things was already upon him, hooking it's curved claws into the muscle of his arm. Snarling with pain Raph stabbed it's head with his sai. The tip poked out it's eye socked, turning the eyeball into a mass of oozing jelly. No sooner had the thing gone limp on his arm than another one attacked the opposite shoulder, slashing.

With a cry of rage and pain, he swung his injured arm over to punch the disgusting creature flat in it's face. He threw enough force behind it that I heard bone crunch.

For the first time I realized that I wasn't injured. My hand I caused myself, but other than that I wasn't injured. I had already had three encounters with the monsters but not one of them directly hurt me. Were they not allowed to?

Encouraged by this thought, I threw myself over to Raph. By now they had scored on him in numerous other places, and he was bleeding pretty badly. Practically sitting on his chest, I fought the monsters with my one hand, striving to keep my brother safe. Sure enough, not a single talon or tooth pierced my flesh. They seemed to content themselves with slapping and butting at my skin. I felt enormously empowered as for a moment it seemed to be working. Then a few of them apparently got an idea.

Flying behind me, four of them wrapped their talons around Raph's forearms, yanking him out from under me. As soon as they had him away from me, at least ten more joined this small team to carry him off. He twisted and screamed curses at them as they lifted him airborne.

My throat went dry as I watched the one remaining member of my family flying down the sewer. Ignoring the other monsters completely, I surged to my feet and charged them.

By now they were flying very close to the ceiling, at least five feet in the air. I sprinted after them and made a flying leap for my brother.

With an unnatural burst of speed, they zipped ahead. I felt that odd lump in my throat again as I ran after them, legs stretched out until I thought that they would split, muscles pumping until it felt as though they were about to explode. Driving furiously forward I somehow managed to keep pace with my brother. Turning their heads, the monstrous creatures seemed to assess me with their sightless gaze, before stoically turning around and going faster.

My mouth gaped as I looked at them rapidly dissappearing down the tunnel. Then, gritting my teeth so hard I'm surprised that they didn't splinter in my mouth, I somehow found it in me to go faster.

They slowed down so suddenly that I almost fell flat on my chin in an effort to stop.

It was a good thing.

This particular tunnell led to a sheer drop to a churning mass of sewer water fed by numerous pipes jutting out of the circular wall. I'd be surprised if this wasn't the exact same one I escaped from earlier. Then something moved in the white water below. It was slick and black, like a large black slug or something. Maybe the size of a large schoolbus. I saw the slippery sheen of it's back and then nothing. Several more slimy black bodies appeared in the water just as soon as they dissappeared. Then one stopped for just a moment, somehow holding itself still under the fiercly strong currents of the water.

I took one look at the blood-red eyes and the shark-like snout and suppressed a shudder. Every scene from Jaws suddenly flashed in my head.

The spidermonkey-bat-bug creatures held Raph suspended ten feet from my reach out far above the water. For the first time since they grabbed him Raph was completely still as he stared out into the water with wide eyes. The creatures in the liquid below quickened their movements and somehow the water frothed even stronger.

Slowly he turned to look at me. My brother met my eyes an instant before they let him go.

He was silent as he fell. I watched him all the way down with wide, terror filled eyes. He dissappeared beneath the froth. The huge creatures beneath the surface moved with a renewed frenzy in a way that reminded me chillingly of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.

I stared blankly at the waves below for a long second before I made my decision.

With a calm, almost serene sigh I stepped off of the piping and out to open air. Immediately gravitly pulled me down. I stared at the quickly upcoming waves and closed my eyes just as the black creature emerged fully from the water.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know. AWESOME place to end, huh? Well, I have a holiday coming up so hopefully I'll be able to put in the second chapter more quickly than this. With luck I'll see you guys again soon! Review and let me know what you think, you know that I love the input! 


	10. What it Wants

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT 

A/N: Well, I found a way to type for my fanfic stories at work without using the website and without me having a word processor (yes, I'm a neanderthal). I hope that you like this one and thank you for the wonderful responses.

Chapter 10

What it Wants

I halfway expected to wake up dead, if that statement makes any sense, that is. Even though none of those evil forces had so much as touched me so far, I still expected death for some reason. I guess that those kinds of thoughts go through your mind when you willingly plunge yourself into a teaming sea of gigantic water monsters after your brother. Who would've thought, right?

Well, when I woke up I wasn't dead. Wow, never though I'd be saying that. But even when I did wake up, I still had to ponder wether or not I was dead. Everything was completly black, black as death. I waved my hands in front of my face couldn't see a thing. I actually had to touch my nose to be sure that they were even there. All of this is unnerving on its own. What was going to happen to me? Things couldn't get any worse.

Then I heard it.

snicker

The evil little laugh sounded through the air, richochetting off of unseen objects to echo into my ears once more. It sent a chill down my shelled spine. Nervously I looked around, but of course as I stated before I could see nothing. My skin pricked as a warm, moist breeze wafted against my side.

Then I heard a muffled groan, in a voice that I recognized in an instant. RAPH!

My limbs were instantly seized with energy and I began to scramble frantically forward on my hands and knees in that direction, my hands reaching out for anything substancial to grab a hold of, something I could use. Another warm, moist waft of air drifted purposely by me.

Then I heard it again, this time from the opposite direction. What's going on? I swifly turned around to follow this new source until it came again to my left. The warm humidity in the air made my skin feel clammy. Turning around I started forward before I hesitated. Was it deliberately goading me?

My thoughts were answered by a raspy chuckle. The sound made me shiver even as another patch of moistened air drifted by me. It was an unhealthy sounding thing, like a chainsmoker who screams all the time and likes to down shots of pure whiskey. Dry, crackly, raspy, moist, painful, corroded and uneven. The laughter continued until it multiplied. It was as though I was surrounded by thousands of creatures laughing at me in their raspy voices. They did this all at once until they echoed and reverberated off of each other until the effect was like nothing that I could possibly describe.

Abruptly it stopped.

Michelangelo...

Give me what I want...

Give it to me...

Licking my lips, I hesitated for the first time. For all I knew, my future and the future of my family was riding on my answer to this question. So far, I'd said no to each question. The resulting events weren't somthing that I'd care to repeat. Who would it go after next? April and Casey? I didn't want them to end up like my family. Hopefully they were still alive. I clung to that hope. I needed to give it a different answer.

Opening my mouth, I spoke into the chilling darkness. "What is it you want?"

Surprised that the terrified tremor didn't appear immediately in my voice, I waited for a response. There was a slight pause, and for a horrifying moment I though that it wouldn't answer, would just go after someone else if it wasn't the answer it wanted. Or it was just toying with me, and all this was just some sick, cruel joke for the amusement of some evil demon. Or maybe it would finally strike me down as well. I suppose that wouldn't be so bad. At least I'd be with my family...

When it finally answered, it broke the eerie silence so suddenly that I started at the sound.

Your soul...

The response took me aback so swiftly that I almost laughed aloud. My _soul_? Really not what I expected. It could have anyone's soul, why mine? Better yet, why not ask for that in the beginning instead of being so damned vague that all these things have to happen! Anger, something I'm not really used to, flashed through my brain. Gritting my teeth I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head.

"Why didn't you just take it? Why put me through so much hell?!"

It snickered again, which was enough to make me tremble uncharacteristically with rage. Did it really think that all this stuff was _funny_? But I kept my mouth shut until it finally answered.

Rules...

That gave me a pause. There must be some type of higher power that this thing answers to that won't let it just take things like that. My mind was working to see if I could possibly manipulate the situation for my benefit. Geesh, when did I become so scheming? I guess that considering everything that was riding on this situation had something to do with it...

"Is that why you haven't hurt me yet?"

Yes...

Now time for the million dollar question. One of two answers. I swallowed hard, half dreading it's response. "My family, are they alive and well?"

They are alive...snicker...

Shell, I sure didn't like that answer. Sure is a heck of a lot better than a flat no, but still not made of roses and sugar either. "What do you mean by that?"

There was a small pause.

I am losing patience...

Chewing on my lower lip, I knew that the ice was getting thin. Time to take charge, or try to at least. "Why are you keeping them alive?" Once again I dreaded the answer, but something told me that I needed to see all the cards. Would probably be better if I could see, of course.

Collateral...

Crap! What does that word mean? Like the movie Collateral Damage...no, stop thinking of movies. Collateral like...money?...no...hostages?... That was it. Of course. He can't hurt me, he needs them to manipulate me. "Why do you need my soul? Why not someone else?"

Special...

"How am I special? What will happen if you get it?"

_Power...power to rule..._

The thought of giving the thing my soul made me feel uneasy. Hey, who wouldn't? "What if I don't want to give it to you?"

In that moment light shot over me, as though there were overhead lamps that just got switched on. Something stabbed me in my gut as it reminded me eerily of the nightmare that I had this morning. At first the small ringlet of light stayed only on me. But then four more switched on, slowly, dramatically. As each light appeared, what it illuminated turned my blood cold.

First Leo appeared, though at first he wasn't recognizable. One of those monsters, the ones from the water, had itself wrapped around him. It resembled a black eel that had been dipped in some sort of slime and was thicker around than my torsoe and shell. It's head was sharp to the nose, and other than that mouth full of jagged teeth was completely blank. Leo's head and the brim of his shoulders were visible through the slimy, wet coils. He was clearly struggling to free himself. The thing visibly tightened it's hold and he gasped. For a moment he turned an odd shade of purple until he managed to control it somehow. He was clearly gasping, crying out and making all sorts of noises, but I might as well have been watching a TV on mute for all I heard. His face was a clear picture of panic and fear. The creature lifted it's featurless head and opened it's jaws over Leo's head. The threat was clear.

Then I saw Master Splinter. His beloved robe was in raggs and he was shackled to some type of unseen wall. He was wide awake, but like Leo didn't make a single sound. He strained against the steel, gritting his teeth with the effort, his limbs trembled. It was then that I saw his breathing. He looked like he was struggling to make each breath. With each inhale his skin clung to his ribs so tightly that for a brief moment he looked like a skeleton. Then he exhaled, though he clearly didn't get enough air. His eyes never met mine but looked about, once going in my direction but somehow looking right through me. He couldn't see me. He struggled painfully to breath in again. The effort was clearly exhausting him.

Instinctively my good hand clawed at my own throat as a lump formed in it. Just watching him was torture to me. Before I could react a third light came.

Donny was propped up on a chair, completely limp. A rope was tied loose around his waist to keep him from toppling over. The back of the chair was high enough to keep his head propped up. He was looking around nervously. Then one of those spider monsters appeared. It skittered over to the leg of the chair where his foot lay. Raising one pointed leg it touched the top of his foot tentatively. Finally the limb sank into Don's flesh, no more than an inch. Blood immediatelly welled up thick at the wound. The only movement was Don opening his mouth in what was clearly a cry of pain. Still paralyzed, he was powerless to stop it. Several more monsters skittered up to him, then loitered around expectantly, the little white faces grinning in anticipation.

Finally it showed Raph, shackled to an unseen ceiling by his ankle. It was the leg that was paralyzed. He hung there, swinging back and forth, pumping his arms furiosly as he attempted to right himself. For some reason, though I knew that he could, he just never reached the shackle on his ankle. The familiar bat-monkey monsters appeared, flying in ominous circles around his swinging form. They started darting down, claws outstretched. Raph fought them furiously, but there wasn't much he could do. I winced as I saw the blood well.

"NO! NO! STOP!" I screamed into the air and ran towards them. But I got nowhere. It was as though I were running on air, my feet were moving but I wasn't. Furiously I tried harder, clawing at the air with my hands, teeth gritted, tears streaming from my face. This couldn't be how it was. It was all my fault. This couldn't be how we end up!

I felt the moist breeze once more and stilled. The soft, raspy laughter made me ball my fists until my knuckles turned white.

_Give me what I want..._

* * *

A/N: So what do you think? I wrote the very last bit in kind of a rush because I need sugar so bad that I'm shaking but I want to get this out so bad! I'm excited about continuing this story. Please tell me what you guys think. Reviews can be very uplifting!

Toodles!


	11. Signing Your Soul Away

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT 

A/N:Sorry it took so long to bump this chapter out. Between work and some family sickness I have finally been able to sit and write. Hope that you enjoy it!

Chapter 11

Signing Your Soul Away

There was no question about it. I had to give it what it wanted. But at the same time, I couldn't. If I gave it my soul, then my family wouldn't go free. Plus, whatever it wanted to do to with my soul, I knew it would be bad. This thing, this beast, this demon...whatever it wanted it couldn't be good for the rest of the world. Society would say to refuse, allow it to kill my family, and therefore save countless people with the mere sacrifice of four mutant freaks. Actually, if you calculate the numbers, it is the most logical solution. Any person looking from the outside in would be no doubt thinking that same thing.

The only problem was that I wasn't on the outside looking in, this was happening to me. And I couldn't let it. I simply couldn't stand myself, I wouldn't go on living. I'd rather die myself than let my family suffer. I'd rather...

Sudden inspiration hit me like a sledgehammer. I knew what to do. I knew exactly what I was going to do. Thoughts raced through my head as I tried to look for loopholes. I could find none. Or at least none that I could think of. What mattered most was that my soul was MINE until I chose to give it. Mine...and damn if I wouldn't fight for it.

I looked up. The moist, dank breeze brushed by me as if on cue. I couldn't help but shiver. "I have reached a decision, but before I make it, I need to know a few things." I tried to make my voice sound strong, and surprisingly I think that I may have pulled it off. I hid my trembling hands behind my shell as I stared into the blackness, awaiting a response.

The demon took its time answering. It nearly drove me mad. When I finally heard something I let out my breath, not entirely realizing that I was holding it in.

_Go on..._

I licked my lips. I had to choose my words carefully so I didn't give away my plan. "What will I have to do to give my soul away?"

_snicker..._

_You will have to destroy the life in your vessel, and proclaim your soul to me..._

Destroy my vessel? Man, that's what I thought. I was hoping for a different answer but I'd have to make do with this one. I inhaled deeply as I prepared my next question. "How do I know that you won't just kill my family anyway after I give it to you? I need proof that you'll keep your word."

_Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss..._

_You dare doubt my word...?_

Geesh, I hope that I didn't make it too mad. "Well, no offense, but you're a demon. You're not exactly known for your honesty. Couldn't we just make a contract or something?" I cringed at the jovial, joking tone that my voice had adopted. I always did that when I was scared.

The monster paused, as if it was deliberating. Another moist breeze kissed my cheek. I resisted the urge to scrub down.

_Contract, agreement...agreed..._

"What do you want my soul for?"

_Hisssssss..._

I did my best to glare into the darkness. The sheer blackness was daunting. "I'm serious. You didn't exactly tell me before. What makes me so _special_ to you?"

There was a silence. "I give you my word of honor that I will not change my mind, no matter what you tell me." Bold move. Let's hope that it bears the fruit of an actual answer.

_A key..._

"To what?"

_To break my leashes..._

_Doing what I wish in the human world..._

My eyes widened and my mouth went dry. For the hundreth time I licked my lips. "Is that why you are able to target me? And do these things to us? Because we're not human?"

_snicker..._

_Every rule has loopholes..._

I clenched my jaw. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Some rule set by a higher being prevented the thing from wreaking havoc on mankind. I guess that as a mutant turtle I wasn't considered part of mankind. But I knew that the course was set. I had given my word and knew that I couldn't break it. But now knowing the full extent of the cost of losing this battle, I knew that I couldn't lose. What I needed was time.

"Uh, one more thing."

_Hissssssssss..._

"Please?"

Silence. I took that as an impatient wait for an answer. I breathed in. "I'd like one more chance to speak with my family before I go. Give me half an hour, please. I just need some time after I sign the contract, where you won't be allowed to touch me at all. My family and I will be free from your touch until that time is up. Please." I was begging. I knew it. But, God, I wanted this to work so bad. It simply _had_ to work. It was my only option.

The dragged out pause seemed ominous. It was time to put out a threat. "I won't go through with the contract unless you give me this time."

Something crashed in the background. The images of my family had the mute turned off. Suddenly all their gazes zeroed in on me. "MIKEY!" "MY SON!" They struggled in their holds, which caused some of them to gasp, cry out, and wheeze in pain. They continued anyway. I tried not to look at them, somehow knowing that it would anger the demon even furthur. Plus I didn't want it to trick me and claim that my time had started now. But it was hard. I bit my lower lip until it bled, clenching my fists while I physically forced myself to look away.

Their hold on them, at least where sight and sound were concerned, had turned off. The surrounding darkness lightened a bit, to a dark shade of gray, before going pitch black again. It flickered bright white and for the breifest of split seconds I saw a horrifying creature. Then the darkness was back. The sound was turned off again for my family, though their eyes still stayed riveted on me. My skin prickled at the sight I just saw. The thing got so ticked it temporarily lost control and I saw a creature so hideous that I couldn't even begin to describe it.

_You can't do that..._

_Your word of honor..._

"No, you're wrong." I challenged. "I gave my word that I wouldn't change my mind based off what you told me. Right now, I'm about to change my mind because you won't give me any time. It's completely unrelated." I was surprised that I was able to twist the events like that. Never thought I had that ability. I just hoped that I didn't push my luck too far.

_I'll kill them..._

The words stabbed my heart. I turned my face to stone, forcing my emotions not to show. "You could, but then you won't get that soul you wanted, will you? Once you kill them, you lose your collateral." I could see my family's reaction, despite the perdicaments they were in. I knew that they heard every word. I just hope that they can understand.

_Insolent creature..._

_You mock me..._

I shook my head fast enough to make my head rattle. "No I'm not, I just want to get the most from my bargain."

_You'll have fifteen minutes..._

That wasn't enough time.

_Under my conditions..._

Hey, wait, what? "Now hold on a minute, we never agreed on conditions!"

_We will at this moment..._

Geesh, freaking demonic smart-ass. The thought surprised me and I supressed a grin despite the situation. Here I am bartering with a demon for my very soul and I'm beginning to sound like Raph!

"What conditions do you propose?" My family's head swiveled over, awaiting a response just as I was.

_They will remain as they are, as you are..._

_You unable to hear them but they can hear you..._

"No, I want to talk with them!"

_They will change your mind, not a risk to take...will not discuss matter furthur..._

I glowered at them. "Why not?" Suddenly there was a flurry of motion to my side. I looked anxiously. The black beast had tightened his hold on Leo, he was clearly having difficulty breathing. Sensei thrashed at the chains as he made even more monumental efforts to take in breath. The spider monsters started to jab at Don's unprotected thighs and the flying monsters dove at the helpless Raph.

"NO! Stop, please stop!" A hiss filled the air in pure demonic anger. The atrocities doubled. Blood spilled on the floor, Splinter shuddered with his efforts and bone splintered in Leo's arm. I screamed into the night, hot tears on my cheeks. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME YOU F#KING GHOST! STOP IT, STOP IT NOW!"

Abruptly the tortures ceased. Talons stopped piercing flesh, Leo stopped getting squeezed, and Splinter hung limp in exhaustion but breathing eaiser at least.

_Do not push me..._

My knees hit the floor and I put my hand in my lap, sobbing. I sucked in my breath as another wracking sob hit me. How could I do this to them? How could I get cocky like this? I never get cocky, now it was costing my family. How could I do this to them. The hot tears burned my cheeks like streams of molten lava.

_Conditions agreed...?_

I glared into the darkness with tear filled eyes. "Yes. That part of the conditions are agreed. They cannot speak to me. But I would like it if they weren't in those states..." I looked over at them at their different positions of torture. "You can make it so they can't come to me, I don't care. Just free them for that time. Once I sign the contract you'll be getting what you want at fifteen minutes end anyway. Just please."

The silence told the answer itself.

I gnawed at my lip again, the tears still flowing hot. Setting my hand on the floor, I freely handed over the last of my dignity as I bowed, my nose inches from the floor. "Please." I waited in that position, my head on the floor between my healthy and busted hand, listening for a response.

_snicker..._

_Yes, I will agree..._

"Remember, during that fifteen minutes time, you can not affect me in any way. No matter what happens." I stressed.

There was another silence, and I could tell that it was deliberating over my words once more. I knew as soon as I said it that I slipped with that 'no matter what happens' bit. I chewed my lip and added "Remember. At the end of that fifteen minutes my soul is forfeit." It felt odd saying those words. Painful. But they needed to be said, I suppose. Hopefully, with my plan they wouldn't actually come to pass.

_Agreed..._

Suddenly the darkness _moved_, it rippled as though made of water. Then it started to draw back from the edges, revealing a weak light in it's wake. Soon it was a gigantic blob in front of me. It was then that I saw the familiar face on the front of the darkness, the shadow. It took on a shape of it's own and grinned as it slowly started to change shape. A figure came out of the shadow.

It was a mixup of pieces and chunks of different creatures. The skin was pruned, wrinkled, and shiny and taught at the same time. It had that distinctive charred, burned appearance. Great bony appendages protruded from the thing's back, tipped with scorpion-like spikes. It's arms were grotesquely skinny and bony, but the horrible thing about it were it's hands. It had wide palms with double jointed fingers, and big eyeballs in the center of those palms with eliptical pupils. They blinked at me and rolled their eyes, their gaze narrowed in on me.

It had no head to speak of, instead it had a big hunking hulk of a body with a wide mouth where the chest was supposed to be. A thick, forked tongue ran over it's fanged teeth as it drooled a constand stream of saliva. It's body was a mixture of that of a spider and of a scorpion, with a stunted stinger at it's rear and ten long, spindly legs with knees standing as tall as it's torsoe.

It reached its bony hands into its wide open mouth. Drool covered the limb. From it it withdrew a rolled piece of parchment. With a flick of the wrist the thing was tossed over to me and I caught it without thinking. I looked at it. Despite the saliva pooling on the floor the parchment was surprisingly free of moisture. With trembling fingers I opened it.

It was a contract. I scanned over the words.

_I, Hamato Michelangelo, hereby forfeit my soul in exchange for the lives of my family. After the exchange, my family is garunteed to be free from all bodily, spiritual, or spacial harm for the remainder of their lives. _

_I will be given fifteen minutes of garunteed time before the exhange, all of which will be free of any and all intrusions. During this time I will be allowed limited contact with my family within set boundries. I will not be allowed to move from this position until the time is up._

_X_

I looked at the parchment with a sense of dread, yet anticipation. I only hoped that I could pull this off. I had never tried anything like this before, it was probably the fate of the world that rested on my shoulders right now.

Glancing up from the parchment, I looked at the demon. Breifly I wondered whether or not it knew the loophole that _I_ was about to take advantage of. If it had any idea...

I signed my name, signing my soul away.

_Hamato Michelangelo_

* * *

A/N: I will gladly and joyously take any guesses on what he's about to do. Please submit your reviews and tell me what you think! 

toodles!


	12. The End?

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT 

A/N: I have learned many things this week. Many things. When records are being scrubbed, it stinks to be training petty officer. When your infant daughter is teething, overnight duty at the hospital can be a very good thing. Doing PT in 98 degree weather with 80 percent humidity can make things spin. Ants live in the duty room, ant bites hurt! And, of course, I learned exactly how to write this last chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 12

The End?

Hamato Michelangelo.

The scrawled signiture looked ominous, foreboding. My heartbeat quickened as I thought about what I had just committed to. I had just sold my soul. I had only fifteen minutes to make sure that I could keep it. Only fifteen minutes. That sort of time passes by so quick. Only fifteen minutes to go through with my plan. And if I failed...

I swallowed hard and tried not to think about it. At least if it happened, my family would be safe.

Suddenly the contract snapped shut as the mouth in the chest of the monster grinned maniacally. The fat, slimy tongue slid over the fanged teeth in a morbid sort of caress. The contract clutched tightly in it's spindley fingered grasp, it chuckled menacingly as the room was once again enveloped in darkness. I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes to the sudden lack of light. The laughter still floated unfiltered through the air. I swallowed, hoping that this thing wasn't allowed to break bargains.

My question was answered when a short distance away small pools of light illuminated my family. They were standing, all paralysis gone but the wounds still fresh. Don rubbed his skin tentatively and winced at the jagged wounds on his feet. Raph, bleeding from countless wounds paced back and fourth like a caged animal. Splinter trembled from near exhaustion with a bruised Leo helping him to a sitting position. They couldn't see me yet and was looking around in abject confusion. I smiled slightly and started forward.

Fifteen minutes was all that I had. The monster thought it was for last farewells to my family and with luck he would continue to think that. Not that I wouldn't say anything to them, but I had different plans for this time allowed to me.

They spotted me when I was halfway from crossing the distance. They pressed thier fingers against an invisible barrier, exclaiming things in loud voices that I could not hear. I smiled and waved at them. They looked at me oddly. My smile broadened. I could see why, I can imagine that I've changed quite a bit with this experience, I felt...older somehow.

I just hoped and prayed that I had paid enough attention in the past, it was that past training that would save the lives of me and millions of others from who knows what. What I was about to attempt had never been my stron suite, after all. That much had been clearly stated to me before. It was then, thinking of exactly how I was going to do this, going toe to toe with a demon, and a feeling of dread swamped in my belly.

What the shell was I thinking!

I shook my head. No, Mikey. You're resigned. You can do this. Sure, your the goof-off slacker who was never paired with anything intellectual and the only books you ever read are covered with bright pictures of awesome superheroes, but maybe tonight you can become a superhero. I'm the Turtle Titan, here I come!

I smiled nervously as I reached where my family was being kept. "Hey guys." They milled about, pressing against the invisible barrier, all talking at once. I sure wish that I could read lips! I shook my head at them. "No, sorry. Part of the agreement. You can hear me but I can't hear you." They stopped talking at that, looking at me with a mixture of fear and expectation; all except for Raph, who continued to punch the invisible barrier, his face surprisingly blank.

Licking my lips, I sat down cross-legged. My shaky smile broadened slightly. "I'll bet that you're wondering what's going on here, huh?" They stilled, even Raph, and looked at me with worried expectancy. "I don't have a lot of time, so I'll be quick. All this was done to get my soul. I don't know why mine, but somehow it will allow the monster to do horrible things to mankind. But if I didn't give it to him, then it would kill you guys. I couldn't let it do that, so I signed my soul away by contract." They looked at me aghast, exclaiming loudly despite the fact that I couldn't hear them. Sensei looked at me sadly. I shook my head. "No, listen. I have a plan. Part of my contract was to get fifteen minutes where he couldn't physically harm me, but I have to stay here too. I'm going to try to tackle this thing on a different plane. I don't want to tell you out loud, 'cause I don't really want to tip the thing off, but once I start you'll know what I'm doing."

I took a deep, shuddering breath and smiled at my family once more. My vision was beginning to get blurry as I looked into those faces, the same ones that I've looked at my entire life. "Sorry I had to cut this so short, guys, but meditating as you know has never been my strong point. No matter what happens, I'll always love you. Never forget that, never." I blinked the tears out of my eyes and tried to swallow the lump out of my throat.

With that I closed my eyes and took a steadying breath, blowing it out slowly. My thoughts were jumbled due to what I was trying to do. I separated them. My heart still ached at the thought of my family. Breathe in, breathe out...I put these thoughts in the back of my mind, out of the way. Don't think about them right now. Breathe in...Breathe out...Breathe in...Breathe out...Clear your mind...Breathe in...Breathe out... As I repeated this, I placed my hands on my knees, touching my fingertips together. With another slow inhale and exhale, I willed my muscles to relax. I was surprised about how easy it was this time, normally I have a difficult time with it. Slowly, I began counting backwards in my brain.

Ten...The number floated distinctly in my mind, I could make out subtle details. Nine...My background was getting hazy, like an out of focus camera. Eight...By now everything around me seemed to cease to exist, I was alone. Seven...I began to feel light, airy almost. I was floating. Six...I was lightheaded, high. Five...Everything else in my mind seemed unreachable, unobtainable. I was isolated. Four...I no longer had any other desire than to reach the nothingness that I sought. Three...I could feel it brush against my fingertips, yet I could not. All senses were dead to me. Two...The dead calm surrounding me was welcoming, I opened my arms to it. One...

I opened my eyes to the swirling, effervescent place that was the spirit world. Nothing seemed substantial, always changing, always moving. I felt as though I would fall through the wispy floor at any moment. The sky hardly seemed like a sky at all, but simply an extension of what was around me. It was like a dream. I had been here before when I fought the elementals with my family, it enthralled me then and it did now.

I looked around. Surely the demon, with the power that it wields, would have some sort of prescence on this plane. I looked around, wind whipping around me. Finally I stepped forward "HELLO!!! MONSTER! I'M MICHELANGELO, THE ONE WHO'S SOUL YOU WANT! COME AND GET ME!'' I slapped my butt for emphasis with a flat palm, the sound echoing. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! RIPE FOR THE TAKING!" My voice cracked at the last word. I couldn't believe that I was doing this. If my family knew, they would have fits for this un-Mikey-like behavior. But I guess that a turtle's gotta do what a turtle's gotta do.

My thoughts raced. What if the thing doesn't show? What if it realizes that by meeting me here, it'll risk the soul it wants so bad? For some reason, I didn't think so. I thought of the monster's personality as one similar to Raph's. No matter how good a mood he was in, Raph was never one to pass up a direct challenge, especially one put the way that I had put that one.

A piercing roar filled the air. The very ground seemed to tremble with the sound. An unseen wind kicked up, blowing my bandana tails wildly about. I looked around, fear etched on my face.

A dark shape was coming towards me, looming ever higher. It was that shadow. It was coming at me fast...and looked angry...oh shell.

It shot straight towards me, then sent a buffet of some sort of cosmic energy. The wave hit me flat in the chest and sent me flying farther than ever before. If it was in the real world, I probably would'nt of been able to get up. But rules are different here. Things are fought with spiritual energy. And a lot of mine was already spent.

I staggered to my feet, thoroughly winded and on shaking legs. I had to get a hold of myself, fight like we did when we fought the elementals on this plane. But before I could even fully regain my footing it struck again with a wicked upward blow. My head snapped back and pain laced down my spine like an arrow of fire. I gave out a strangled gasp before another blow landed on my upper chest, causing my legs to buckle and me to fall flat on my shell with a whiplash motion. My voice was frozen in my throat.

With all that I could muster I tried again to stagger to my feet, concentrate on something..._anything_...so that I could somehow strike back, but my head was reeling. I couldn't think of a thing.

Another wicked blow to my side sent me rolling. It was already on my other side before I stopped, sending another fierce barrage of blows. It struck my sides, my head, my chest, my limbs. I felt the stunning pain yet felt numb all at the same time. I could see my vision getting hazy as my head spun wildly. What did I get myself into?

The thing's angry roar turned into a fierce laughter as it batted me about like a cat's toy. It was substantial, yet at times I could see through it. It was a constantly moving shadow, as fluid as water and as sharp as knives. At times a face-like depression could be seen on the top of it, grinning evilly.

The blows seemed to come from further away, a greater distance. Or maybe it was me that was distant. It took a moment to realize that the blows had stopped. Slowly, aching at every point in my body, I turned to look up at it.

It was looming over me, it's featureless face somehow molded into a cruel smile.

I stared at it, my mouth gaping, and somehow managed to find my voice. "No, you didn't say anything about me leaving spiritually."

You hoped to defeat me and therefore get your soul back...

I tried again to get up, but my body seemed to be made of putty. I looked away from it. "Yeah, that was kind of the idea."

_You are a novice, you have no hope of defeating me alone..._

_Your soul is mine..._

I blinked up at the thing. I felt like the only thing alive in this place. It was right, there was no one here to help me. I was completely on my own.

'You are not alone, my son.'

A shiver went down my spine as the words echoed in my mind. I licked my lips. "Master Splinter?"

The creature through back it's featureless head and laughed wickedly.

'My son, remember your training, remember what you can do. I might not be able to help you, but we can help you help yourself.'

With that I felt four tentative prescences, though they were light, brushing on the back of my mind, they warmed me more than I ever thought possible. My muscles twitched. The pain laced through me once more and I stifled a groan.

'He cannot harm you as he could in the real world, my son. All of this is not real in the way that you think it is, you must trust in yourself.'

My muscles twitched again but there was no pain this time. I concentrated on it. Slowly I realized that he was right. Technically, I don't even _have_ muscles in this plane, how can something that isn't here hurt? It was because the monster led me to believe that I was still in my physical body, because that's what I've been conditioned to think. I looked at my hands. Both were complete and whole. Not a single bone was broken. I could picture my mangled hand clearly in my mind. Suddenly my left hand contorted and twisted into the broken shape. It was whatever I had wanted it to be.

I looked up at the monster. It shifted to the side, as though cautious. I suddenly noticed that despite all it's ferocity, it was still a featurless shadow. In some areas I could even see though it like a piece of black film. It scooted back again, looked cowed.

I could feel the the strong, kind prescence of my family in the back of my mind. They were there, they would help the best that they could, but I still had to do this myself. Arching back, I did a powerful flip to regain my feet. The monster scooted back again. I stared at it, sitting on my haunches. How powerful was it really?

Suddenly it whipped to the side, as though a stone was thrown into it. Bright, dancing flames arched from it's base and raced towards me in a fiery conflagration. At first I startled back, but stopped myself. Those flames, they weren't really here. They couldn't burn me. The heat that I felt dissapated immediately as I calmly sat down, legs crossed. The flames hit me but went out as though blown by a gust of wind.

My family embraced my mind warmly as the demon whipped itself again, this time with hoards of gremlins spewing from it's featurless gut. Their fierce shrieks filled the air. I closed my eyes to the oncoming horde, taking in a deep breath. Slowly I let it out. When my eyes opened once more, the monster simply stood there, trembling slightly like rippling water.

How powerful was this thing really? Was all that it could use was illusions and mortal fears? I tried not to smile as I touched my fingertips together on my bended knees. I took in another deep breath.

The thing roared again, though this time with a definite flavor of fear in it's voice.

I could feel an immense power welling up inside me. My family brushed against my spirit, I felt goodness all the way to the tips of my toes. The power wafted from me in a pure gold color, slowly building.

YOU CANNOT WIN!...YOU ARE BUT A NOVICE!...YOU HAVE NO TRUE POWER!...

I couldn't help but smile. Through relaxed lips I whispered "Obviously you have never felt the power of love, evil dude." The power welled bigger and more immense, it was almost ready.

YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU DO!...YOUR SOUL IS FORFEIT EITHER WAY, IT'S IN THE CONTRACT!...NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO YOU WILL BE MINE!...

"If it means that my family is safe, if it means that the world is safe, then so be it, you can do nothing with it if I defeat you. _That_ is the power of love. The power of self sacrifice." With that the sheer surge of pure energy was unleashed straight upon the demon like a thousand screaming hells. The demon screamed in pain until it was cut off ubruptly.

Suddenly everything went black.

* * *

My eyes opened in dazed confusion. I wiped my face with a heavy hand. Mumbling to myself I shoved off the blankets and stretched, my arms extended in the air. I scratched my arm lazily, wondering what time it was...until it hit me. 

I gasped in a gulp of air. I looked around swiftly, my eyes danced about my room, seeing my bookcase, my comics, my chucks, my back wall...all were as I'd left them. Intact. Nothing was destroyed. Nothing broken. Nothing shredded. With wide eyes I looked down at my hands. I wriggled them both. Neither had a single broken bone. All, at least in my room, was like normal. Then a cold feeling struck me deep in my gut. MY FAMILY!!!

My heart skipped a beat as I bolted from my bed and flew out of my door. I looked around frantically. The Lair was as it should be, nothing was out of place. I could hear Raph's snoring distinctly down the hall. The kitchen light was on as Leo and Sensei quietly talked amongst themselves. They were always the first up. Don was asleep on his workbench, passed out after staying up too late to finish a project. Again.

My eyeridges scrunched up in confusion as I softly closed the door. All the events played through in my head. My family dissappearing one by one, me trying to rescue them, and finally me fighting the demon and finally defeating it...was it really all a dream? I sat down on my bed heavily, my face blank of emotion. It couldn't be a dream, it just couldn't. It...

beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...

Startled, I looked up at my timer clock. Reaching over I stared at it as it bleeped at me. Funny, I don't remember setting this...I shut off the beeping. Thinking, I pushed another button to see how long it had been set for.

Fifteen minutes.

My mouth went bone dry. Fifteen minutes? No way, it couldn't be...it was all a dream right?...

Shakily I put threw the device. It smashed against the wall. I never used it anyway. Try not to think about it. I wiped my sweaty palms on my legs. Well, I'm already up and I'm sure as shell not going back to sleep...

I shook myself. Why are you worrying, Mikey? If it was all real, then that means that you did what no one else thought you could do on your own. That isn't something to be ashamed of! A sense of pride welled inside me as I stood up and walked calmly out the door. Yet it all felt so wrong, so out of place. Like it couldn't possibly be real...

Splinter and Leo looked up in surprise as I joined them at the table.

"Mikey! Wasn't expecting to see you up so early!" He looked me over, "You seem...different somehow. More confident maybe. You have a good dream?"

One side of my lip cocked upwards in a crooked grin. "Yeah, you could say that."

Sensei nodded. "Yes, it is quite a surprise. I am happy that you choose to join us at this hour. Tell me, my son, will this become a habit?" he added hopefully.

I was about to answer when my shell cell rang. Flipping it open I held it up to my ear.

"Hello?"

_Michelangelo...Give me what I want..._

_

* * *

_

A/N: Sooooooo...how do you like it? I know it was a bit quick in some areas but for some reason I just couldn't see where exactly to change it. I'm happy with it nonetheless. I got the meditation bit from someone I work with. Before he joined the military he studied religions, one of those was several months with buddhist monks where they tried to teach him to meditate.

I hope that I surprised everyone with how he defeated it. It took me forever to plan out.

Oh yes. Advertising to all interested parties, I'm starting a new series in a little bit concerning zombies. I'm almost done with the first chapter. It'll be called 'Death Rising Among Us.' So keep a lookout!

Toodles!


End file.
